The Solid Rock

Most Christians will rightfully tell you that they find their hope and comfort in the Bible. But I must confess that I am often most inspired and uplifted by the wonderful lyrics found in the hymnal of the United Methodist Church. Indeed, it is said of the founders of Methodism, Charles and John Wesley, that for every one person they won for Christ with their preaching, 10 were won with their music.

Last fall, I went through a particularly disturbing period in my life. Out of the blue, a Washington columnist decided to make me the subject of some of the most vicious and unfair criticism that I had ever received. I am a private person who avoids the public spotlight like the plague, and I could simply not understand why this individual had made me the target of his vitriol. I understand that Washington is a political town, but I never imagined myself as a political lightening rod.

In the midst of this turmoil, I came to church one Sunday to find God speaking to me through the words of the hymn, “My Hope is Built,” written in the middle of the 19th century. The refrain was very familiar to me, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.” However, it was the words of the first three stanzas that left me in awe:

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”

“When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.”

“His oath, his covenant, his blood support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay.”

God’s message to me that morning was powerful and crystal clear. I must not dwell on the anger and hurt that I felt but rather focus on the healing power and strength that comes from a personal relationship with our savior, Jesus Christ. I still have no idea why this man attacked me, and I probably will never know the whole story. But what I do know is that God used this as an opportunity to remind me of what is truly important and offered me comfort through these wonderful words written by a fine Christian in 1834.

So, the next time you are in pain and distress, pick up a hymnal. I hope that you may also find that some of God’s clearest reassurance of his grace comes through music and song.

— Dennis Wilder