The Solid Rock

by Macy Johnson

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

(Matthew 7:24 NIV)

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,” is the first stanza of my favorite hymn, “The Solid Rock.”

I sing this beloved anthem when I walk in my neighborhood, clean bathrooms, drift off to sleep, and prepare for stressful situations. The tune and lyrics lighten the load and remind me I am never alone.

The verses of this hymn were penned by Edward Mote in 1834. Born in London in 1797, Pastor Mote was baptized at eighteen, trained as a cabinet maker, and called by God at age fifty to serve as a pastor. When his congregation gifted him with a church building, he declared, “I do not want the chapel, I only want the pulpit; and when I cease to preach Christ, then turn me out of that.” His hope was in Jesus, the Solid Rock, not a solid building.

The word “hope” is found eighteen times in the book of Job and thirty-four times in the Psalms in the NIV Bible.  Job and the Psalmists clung to hope in the midst of despair.

“I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.”

(Psalm 119:147 NIV)

Hope is a gift from God, the power of the Holy Spirit nudging us forward, reminding us there is something better ahead.

Hope is an extension, a by-product of faith: Faith generates Hope. The more faith exercised, the more hope created.

I will rest today in the arms of my Savior, the Solid Rock, my only Hope in this life and the next. I hope you will, too!