The Solid Rock (My Hope is Built on Nothing Less)
From a young man who knew nothing of God to writing one of Christianity's most beloved hymns - discover the inspiring story behind "The Solid Rock" (also known as "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"). Edward Mote's powerful message of finding hope in Christ alone began touching lives before it was even published, and continues to inspire believers today.
I'm back with another Friday Classic Hymn, and recently at church we sang a song called "Cornerstone" by Hillsong. As I was looking at this song, I thought this must be a hymn - it just has the wording of a hymn, not of a modern worship song. I looked it up and discovered that this song is based on an old hymn which many of us know as "Solid Rock" or "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less."
I've sung the Hillsong version many times, but I'll be honest - I've never sung the traditional hymn. Researching it for this video has been very rewarding. What a powerful song it is! I'm curious about your experience of this hymn. Maybe you grew up singing it in church, or maybe like me you only know the modern version. Maybe it holds a special place in your heart. I'd love to hear your stories in the comments below.
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Let me tell you the story behind this hymn that has strengthened so many believers over the years.
The Story Behind "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"
The man behind this inspiring song is Edward Mote, born in 1797. Mote grew up in a home where God's name was never mentioned. As a young boy, he had no knowledge of the faith that would later define his existence. But God had plans for this young man, because one day at the age of 16 he walked into the Tottenham Court Chapel one Sunday, and the words he heard spoken by a famous preacher that day planted a seed in his heart.
For the next two years that seed grew, until at the age of 18 he was in a church in London and the preacher spoke about how God laid all the sins of the world upon Jesus. It was a Good Friday service, and Edward's heart was transformed. He was reborn, and later that year he was baptised.
Life went on and Edward became a successful writer and a cabinet maker in London. One day in 1824, as he was walking to work, a thought occurred to him that he should write a hymn about "the gracious experience of a Christian," as he said. Immediately the words formed in his mind: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." Over the next few days he penned four verses to go along with this little chorus that he came up with.
Before the song was even published, it had a very profound impact on somebody's life. A friend of Edward's came to him and said that his wife was very sick and asked if he could come round for a visit. Along he went, and the husband said that normally they would sing a hymn and have a prayer together every day, but he looked around and the hymnbook wasn't there. Edward said, "You know what, I've got some words here that I've written - maybe we can sing these." This little family sang this song, and it had such a profound impact on them. They loved the words so much they asked Edward if they could keep his handwritten notes. He gave them to this family, went home to rewrite them, and composed another two verses as well.
The hymn found its way into a local Christian magazine, and before long it was being published by others as well. Just like that, this simple little hymn that he'd written on his way to work was starting to touch the lives of many more.
But God wasn't finished with him yet, because Edward later was called to the pastoral ministry. He became ordained as a Baptist pastor and cared for a church in Sussex. The congregation loved this man so much that eventually they offered him the property - they offered to give it to him. But he famously said this (I love these words, it tells you a lot about him): "I do not want the chapel, I only want the pulpit, and when I cease to preach Christ, then turn me out of that." What a deep love for Christ this man had!
In 1874 his health was failing. He stepped back from the pastoral role but still was involved in that church community. As his health began to deteriorate that year, he would often say that he felt he was near the port, that heaven was not far away. The day before he died, he was still speaking about the blood of Jesus and how only the blood of Jesus can bring peace between man and God. Really, this was a great testimony to the solid rock that he had written about all those years before.
These days we sing a slightly different version to his original six verses. Hymnal editors over the years trimmed his version down into four or five verses sometimes and changed the wording. But I want to take you through the original six verses that he wrote. They're a little bit different to what you'll know, but I think that they are very profound. He published it under the title "The Immutable Basis of a Sinner's Hope."
Let's have a look at his words.
What Do the Lyrics of "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" Mean?
Verse 1
"Nor earth, nor hell, my soul can move, I rest upon unchanging love; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name."
I love those words - nothing on earth, nothing in hell can move my soul because I'm resting on the unchanging love of Jesus. Beautiful!
"I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name."
Nothing, no matter how sweet or solid it is, is worthy of my trust except the name of Jesus. You can tell straight away what a deep love and faith this man had in Christ.
The Chorus
The chorus of course says: "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."
Immediately that takes us to the parable that Jesus tells at the end of the Sermon on the Mount about the wise man who builds his house upon the rock. When the storms come, the house stands firm. But the other man who doesn't build his house upon the rock - which is the words that Jesus has spoken - when difficulties come and storms come, it all just sinks away and his house crashes down.
Beautiful way of summing up that little parable, isn't it? All other ground is sinking sand. What are you building your life on? The words of Jesus and the person of Jesus, or on some other ground? It's sinking sand if you choose anything but Jesus Himself.
Verse 2
Verse two is what we normally start the song with: "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."
He's not building his own hope on anything except Christ - not his own good works, not his own Christian living, but just what Jesus has done for him: His blood that was shed and the righteousness that Christ gives us.
Then this is new - these words aren't familiar to us: "'Midst all the hell I feel within, on His completed work I lean."
Even if I feel all sorts of different things, I'm not relying on my feelings - I'm relying on the faith I have in Christ's completed work on the cross. Amen to that! Are you relying on your feelings, and if you feel a bit down then you don't live the Christian life? Or if you're tired? Or is it Christ's work on the cross that defines your life, and you live according to your faith in that?
It was a man named John Reese, in fact, who combined those first two verses into the verse we know today that starts the song. In 1826 he published a hymnal in which he had done this, and later on when Mote would publish this in his own works, he would sometimes use Reese's edits in his own publication.
Verse 3
"When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on undisturbed grace."
Now John Reese also edited this line to "I rest on His unchanging grace," which is the one I think we know. Darkness is going to come in your life. Difficulties are going to come, and they're going to seem to veil His face or hide His face at times. But again, are you resting on your experience or your feelings, or on the grace that He gives, which can be undisturbed if you have faith, or unchanging if you have faith?
"In every rough and stormy gale" - or as Reese edited it, "In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil."
Whatever storms come your way, if your faith is in Christ, your anchor is sure. You won't be sunk by the gales and the storms of life, but you'll be able to hold fast. What wonderful words to sing! My hope is in Christ, not in good circumstances. Let storms come - my anchor holds firm. What faith!
Verse 4
Verse four is an interesting one: "His oath, His covenant, and His blood support me in the sinking flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay."
God has promised - He has made an oath and He sealed it in His blood - to always be there for us no matter what comes. If there are floods around me, if everything gives way, I will still be held safe because He is my hope and my stay. Nothing else.
These are powerful words. Maybe you need these today because maybe you are going through a flood and some stormy gales are coming at you. Is your hope in Him alone? Because if your hope is in Him alone, then you can stand fast even through the difficulties.
Verse 5
"I trust His righteous character, His counsel, promise, and His power; His honour and His name's at stake to save me from the burning lake."
There's a reference to Revelation 20 - the eternal lake that the Godless are cast into. Are you trusting in the righteous character of yourself or of His righteous character? Because, only His righteousness is what saves you, not your own. His counsel, His promise, and His power - the words of Jesus and the power within them.
Remind us of these things. Yes, His honour and His name's at stake to save us. If Jesus can't save us, then He has no honour. If He's just a prophet and He doesn't offer us anything eternal, then what's the point? But His name is the name that saves - saves us from the burning lake. Praise God for that!
Verse 6
The last verse is also one that's been edited in modern hymnals: "When I shall launch in worlds unseen, O may I then be found in Him, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne."
Later editors also changed this. You might be more familiar with the words "When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found" - same message, just different wording.
When the end of my life comes, may I be found in Him. May my faith be in Him so that He sees me and sees the faith that has made me His child. This is about faith. It's about the faith that you have that makes you faultless before God. If He sees your faith, that is what welcomes you into the kingdom, not your good deeds. You still do them to prove your faith, yes, but it is His righteousness given to you when you first believed that saved you, not your own. You can stand faultless before Him and subsequently become faultless in your sanctification, and stand before His throne faultless.
What a beautiful set of words! Are there any lines in here, words that really blessed you today or stood out for you as you read these words? Share it in the comments below, won't you?
Conclusion
We're going to sing it together. I want to sing two versions. First we'll sing his original words set to the famous tune that goes with the song, which was written by William Bradbury in the 1800s. Then I'll also sing "Cornerstone," the modern one that got me onto this hymn, because I think it's also beautiful and has its place.
Before we do, thank you to all of you who support me online. Those of you who support me on PayPal, I thank you so much. Those who support on Patreon, you guys get extra songs, you get MP3s of all the stuff, and extra devotions that I do - I appreciate the kindness that you show me.
Come, let's sing this song and build our lives on the solid rock, not on any sinking sand.
References
Osbeck, K.W. 1985. 101 More Hymn Stories. Kregal Publications: Grand Rapids
