About “He Will Hold Me Fast”
Ada Habershon wrote this hymn in 1905 after hearing evangelist R.A. Torrey preach in London, and it became a staple of the Torrey revival campaigns. In 2013 Matt Merker, then serving at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., wrote a new melody while wrestling with personal doubt, drawn to the theme of God's preserving grace after a John Piper sermon on Jude 24-25. He condensed Habershon's stanzas and added a new verse on Christ's resurrection and return, and Keith and Kristyn Getty recorded his setting on their 2016 album Facing a Task Unfinished.
Written by Ada Habershon and Matt Merker · Released 2016 on Facing a Task Unfinished · CCLI #7016161
- The original 1906 tune was written by Robert Harkness, pianist for Torrey's evangelistic team
- Matt Merker's setting was first sung at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in early 2013
Scripture Jude 24-25
Churches that sing it
Real churches in our map with this in their worship playlist — 15 you can watch on YouTube.
Where in the world
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Frequently asked
Who wrote “He Will Hold Me Fast”?
Ada Habershon and Matt Merker. It was first released in 2016 on Facing a Task Unfinished.
What is “He Will Hold Me Fast” about?
Ada Habershon wrote this hymn in 1905 after hearing evangelist R.A. Torrey preach in London, and it became a staple of the Torrey revival campaigns. In 2013 Matt Merker, then serving at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., wrote a new melody while wrestling with personal doubt, drawn to the theme of God's preserving grace after a John Piper sermon on Jude 24-25. He condensed Habershon's stanzas and added a new verse on Christ's resurrection and return, and Keith and Kristyn Getty recorded his setting on their 2016 album Facing a Task Unfinished.
How many churches sing “He Will Hold Me Fast”?
32 churches in the playlist.church map have it in their worship playlists, most often for Comfort, Faithfulness — one of the most-adopted worship songs today.
What Bible verses inspired “He Will Hold Me Fast”?
It draws on Jude 24-25.