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"Stand on Your Promises" by Kate Stanford: Finding Strength When Pain Won't Let Go


Joy can be your strength, even in pain. 

Chronic pain has a way of making faith feel like a question mark. Kate Stanford is very familiar with that. She wrote “Stand on Your Promises” while struggling with chronic pain and emotional times, asking God the same question over and over: “Is there anything too hard for you?” That question is what this song starts with, raw and unresolved. The song doesn’t stay there. Kate describes seeing “the morning light break after midnight,” quietly reminding us that darkness has limits. Somewhere in her waiting she heard a whisper: “child just hold on… child just be strong.” That whisper became the chorus of the song, and the chorus became an anchor: “The joy of the Lord is my strength through the battle.” 

Kate Stanford - Stand on Your PromisesRead Nehemiah 8:10. The Israelites had just returned from exile. Their city was completely in ruins, their hearts were heavy with grief over a past that they couldn’t undo. They even wept when they heard God’s laws and realized how far they were from obeying them. Ezra was the priest and scribe at the time, and he told them to stop mourning and let joy carry them forward! Why? Because joy that is rooted in God doesn’t depend on the circumstances to line up first. 

How can you apply this wisdom to your afternoon, your diagnosis, your unanswered prayer? This kind of strength isn’t something that you can manufacture through sheer willpower. Ask yourself: where have you been trying to grit your way through the challenges instead of leaning into the joy that’s already offered to you? God’s promises don’t wait for your situation to improve. They stand now, in the middle of the mess, and are ready to hold you up. 

Let this song remind you today. Press play, and listen closely to the chorus. Maybe the lyrics can become your own declaration. “I will stand on your promises.”

(Related scripture: Nehemiah 8:10; Psalm 46:1; Hebrews 6:19)

Background:

“Stand on Your Promises” by Kate Stanford. Co-written with Sam Hart and Jamie Jamgochian.

Inspired by Nehemiah 8:10, “the joy of the Lord is my strength,” this song was written during a season of chronic pain and emotional struggle. It’s an anthem of perseverance and faith, reminding listeners to hold on to God’s promises when life feels heavy. My hope is that it encourages listeners to find joy and strength in God, even in the waiting.

Release date: April 19, 2024

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