The Rock That Never Moves: Our Unshakable Hope in Christ
When Ken and I turn off the freeway and drive toward home down Topanga Canyon Boulevard, the traffic always slows a bit near Stony Point, an outcropping of massive sandstone boulders that form a huge hill. Sometimes we pull over, park, and watch weekend climbers testing their skills at bouldering. There are plenty of crags and clefts in which they can tuck themselves, catching their breath before tackling the next big rock. While watching people scale up that lofty monolith of ancient stone, it’s no surprise my thoughts turn to the old hymn “Rock of Ages.”
The first verse goes, “Rock of Ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee!” Sitting in the car and admiring Stony Point, it’s easy to think, Yes Lord, hide me in your cleft, just like one of those climbers. With my senses so engaged with that imagery, of course this hymn has always been a favorite. It became even more meaningful when I dug into what the Bible says about God being our rock.
I found a fascinating passage in Exodus where it says, “The Lord said, there is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand” (33:21-22). Later, David praises God saying, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress” (2 Samuel 22:2). Then in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 10:4, Christ is referred to as the rock.
Reflecting on these words, a picture began to take shape of the safety and security we have as God hides us in the cleft of the Rock of Ages—we are hidden, we are tucked away in Christ! Just thinking about a place carved out for me in the side of my Savior is such a reassuring comfort.
It is with these ideas in mind that I brought out my watercolors and pastel pencils to render an ancient looking mountain, standing as though it had been there forever. I decided on what artists call an exalted composition. I created lines and relationships of spaces that would draw the eye of the viewer up. The primary compositional lines all sweep up, much like you see in stone cathedrals. When we worship Jesus Christ, the rock, our heads tilt and our gaze lifts! Even the clouds in my painting look exalted, giving an impression of timeless majesty.
As I painted, I kept singing the hymn “Rock of Ages,” especially the last verse:
While I draw this fleeting breath
When my eyes shall close in death
When I rise to worlds unknown
See Thee on Thy judgment throne
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
(Words by Augustus M. Toplady)
Friend, Christ is our rock. Immovable, unshakable, the One in which we hide. No wrong can ever come to us, if we are hidden in Christ. The trials may feel desperately difficult; the hardships may at times feel overwhelming, but no injury can be done to our soul when we are hidden in the Rock of Ages. All of hell might rail against us and we may face the very worst of deaths, but nestled in Christ Jesus—we are out of harm’s way. We will never slip or fall. We will climb from boulder to boulder until we reach… the top.
—Joni Eareckson Tada
Christ My Rock
Trials in life may be hard, but your soul will be safe and secure when Jesus is your rock. Nothing can hurt you when you are covered in Christ.
