Xanthe Hancox

Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.  Psalm 71:3

In 1763 Rev Augustus Toplady found himself caught in a thunderstorm. He sought refuge in a cleft rock of limestone a hundred feet high. The story goes that Toplady pulled out a playing card and wrote the words to Rock of Ages on the back of it. Today, if you visit Burrington Combe in England you can still see a plaque dedicated to Toplady’s hymn.

I imagine Toplady looking up at the massive rock, split down the middle to create a hiding place from the storm, and being reminded of another rock.  Jesus is that rock, and he was cleft for us. “This is my body given for you,” Jesus told his disciples at their last supper as he took bread and gave it to them. Jesus’ body was given for us—cleft in crucifixion. Not only were his hands and feet pierced, but also his side.

Jesus was pierced for our transgressions and by his stripes we are healed. To him alone we must go for salvation from sin. That’s what Toplady is talking about in the first verse of his hymn:

Rock of ages, cleft for me.

Let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy riven side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure,

Cleanse from me its guilt and power.

God’s wrath, rightfully, is poured out on sinners. That’s all of us. But the blood of Jesus, poured out on the repentant crying for mercy and salvation, satisfies the wrath of God the Father. Not only that, but it cleanses us from all unrighteousness, hence “the double cure.” So much truth packed into so few words.

Is Jesus your rock, your salvation, your shelter?

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for atoning for my sins by paying sin’s penalty on the cross. Be my Rock, I pray, where I can find shelter from life’s storms both now and for all eternity. Amen

Listen to Rock of Ages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM7gt_cSxjw