«The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2).
William Gladstone was a British statesman and politician living close to the end of the nineteenth century. The hymn “Rock of Ages» was played at his funeral. It was one of the favorite hymns of Prince Albert, and he also requested that it be played when he lay dying.
This hymn was also chosen to be sung by the passengers of the SS London during the last minutes before the ship sank into the Bay of Biscay in 1866.
This well-known hymn, which has been a favorite of royalty and commoners alike, was written by August Toplady in 1963.
One day when Toplady was traveling along the top of a cliff, he was caught in a storm. He took refuge in a cleft between the rocks and wrote the first lines of the song while he was there. The rock was later marked with a plaque with the name of the hymn, “Rock of Ages.»
The hymn is actually a prayer. The Living Rock has a double function: it is a refuge and a spring of water. Both images reinforce the idea of personal salvation. It is not only our hiding place in storms, but it also provides the Living Water that can purify us and cleanse us of our sins. What a beautiful thought, that something so firm and long-lasting can also be the source of something so abundant!
Among the ruins of Machu Picchu, experts consider that some of the great blocks of stone may have been split from the mountain due to the action of water that was collected in small cracks and then froze overnight, increasing the size of the cracks. Water in its liquid form could not affect the stones much, but with the strength it acquires when it becomes a solid, it could create spaces that allowed the workers to cut out the stones more easily.
There is a great contrast between Christ, the Living Rock, and humans, who often act as hard rocks that are difficult to work with.
The prophet Ezekiel was given a promise that is also for us today: «Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean… I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh» (Ezekiel36: 5. 26).
Will you take refuge in Jesus today? Will you allow Him to wash you with clean water and change you?
