This Fleeting Breath
And so let's look at the last verse of Rock of Ages. It goes like this:
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
The songwriter closes his great work by looking ahead to the day he dies. He knows life is fleeting. Did you see that line about drawing fleeting breath? Life is fleeting. It means it doesn't last very long. We must all be ready to die.
Facing Life’s End
He goes on to say, when my eyes will close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown and see Thee on Thy judgment throne. He knows the truth that when he dies, he's going to go to another dimension. And God will be there on His judgment throne.
This is very biblical. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:10 “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” The writer to the Hebrews said in Hebrews 9:27, “People are destined to die once and after that to face judgment.”
We're all going to draw a last fleeting breath, close our eyes in death, and face God in judgment. What are you going to say when you face Him in judgment?
The Only Hope
The songwriter said when he sees Jesus on the throne, all he's going to be able to say is “Rock of Ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in Thee.” All he could do was say, “Lord, save me, save me.”
Now I've shared this one before, but it bears repeating. Peter Marshall, the great Presbyterian minister of the 30s and 40s, was once asked by a friend if he really believed in the Judgment Day.
Marshall paused and he said, “Yes, the Bible makes it quite clear. Someday, somewhere, somehow there will be an accounting for each of us.” Then he paused as if he was lost in thought, and he said, “I think I may have to go through the agony of having my sins recited in the presence of God, but I believe it will be like this: Jesus will come over and lay His hand across my shoulders and say to God the Father, ‘Yes, all these things are true, but I’m here to cover up for Peter. He’s very sorry for all his sins, and by a transaction made between us, I am now solely responsible for them.’
And Marshall smiled and said, “If I'm wrong about that, I'm sunk.”
Trust in Jesus
And you know, I think the hymn writer of this great hymn was trying to get that across—that on our day of judgment, the only thing that will qualify us in God's eyes is whether we've placed our faith in His Son, the Rock of Ages who was cleft for us. Only His grace allows us to enter.
So live with a great sense of how fleeting life is. And if you've made that transaction with Jesus—accepted His death, asked Him to cover your sins, and believed with all your heart that He's done it—then one day you'll stand at the judgment throne. You won't be cast away, but you'll be welcomed in on Jesus' account.
Praise the Rock of Ages who was cleft for us!
