Standing Firm on Christ Your Rock

Edward Mote’s hymn reminds us that Christ is our Rock—unchanging, faithful, and the only sure foundation when life’s storms rage.

“I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”—Deuteronomy 32:3–4

On his way to work one day in 1834, London-born Edward Mote began to contemplate writing a hymn about the “gracious experience of a Christian.” Words started to form in his mind: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” His thoughts developed throughout the day, and he wrote them out that evening.

The following Sunday, a man asked if Mote might visit his wife, who was very ill. Normally the man sang a hymn with his wife, but he couldn’t find his hymn book. Mote remembered the verses he’d written a few days earlier, and he sang them to the couple. It was such a blessing that the man asked Mote to provide the words. When Mote went home, he wrote two more verses and then sent the revised poem to the couple.

Mote printed a thousand more copies, sending one to a magazine, without including his name or initials. Only later was Mote recognized as the author.

The message of this poem became an inspiration to people around the world, particularly after William Bradbury set it to music in 1863.

Christ is our Solid Rock. Life’s problems may be like a “whelming flood,” but we can depend upon Christ because of “His oath, His covenant, His blood.”

Some may build their lives on shifting sand, but God is the Rock you can stand upon in any storm.

Reflection Question: Where do you need to stand more firmly on Christ your Rock today?