We Rest on Thee is about trusting in God and seeing our need of Him as our Saviour. This hymn is full of amazing truths and important reminders for Christians.
It reminds me that God is so much greater than me—He is my shield. I can lean on Him when I’m struggling, and He will hold me fast. It’s encouraging because it says “We rest on thee our shield and our defender. . . .” It reminds us we aren’t alone in our Christian walk. We have our church family to help and care for us.
In the third verse it says, “We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling”. Without Jesus, we are so weak and lost, and this song remind us of that.
My favourite verse is the final one.
We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
Thine is the battle, thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendour,
Victors we rest with Thee through endless days.
The words and tune are so beautiful. This verse tells us that all glory belongs to God, because He made us and He protects us. The final two lines are an amazing picture of heaven. We will all be able to rest with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Lydia McConnell is 18, a student in high school, and will be starting Uni in September to study forensic science. She's been a member of Niddrie Community Church for two years.