Clinging to Hope
Clinging to Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13
Edward Mote was born in Upper Thames St, London on January 21, 1797. He would spend Sundays playing in the streets and once said that as a child, he had no idea there was a God.
He grew to become a great writer and minister, composing one of the great hymns of our tradition.
As a young adult, Mote attended Tottenham Court Road Chapel where he would listen to the sermons of John Hyatt where he learned that Jesus Christ could hold all the fears of his life and give him peace of heart and mind he had long desired.
He was baptized at 18 and apprenticed as a cabinet maker, then became the pastor of a church at age 55, where he served without missing a single Sunday for over 20 years.
One day, on his way to work in his cabinet-making days, he decided to write a hymn because of all that God had done for him. Before he reached the front door of his business he had written the chorus:
“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
The words of this familiar hymn are beautiful and meaningful, and the original first verse offers something to us in light of this difficult time we face together. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. ‘Midst all the hell I feel within, on his completed work I lean.”
How do you cling to hope in hard times? How are you leaning into the work of God in your life through the Holy Spirit? It’s hard to have joy and peace, and hope when the darkness around you is overwhelming, isn’t it?
For me, words to beloved hymns like The Solid Rock, give my faith and my doubts expression through words I might not be able to find on my own. The Psalms are like that, as well.
As we face the uncertainty of this time, especially when faced in isolation, remember the hope that you carry with you. A hope anchored in Jesus will not sink beneath our feet when the going gets rough, rather, it will hold us high above the waves of grief and fear that threaten to overtake us.
Feet firmly planted on the solid rock, we stand with arms outstretched toward one another. Our hope is our anchor, binding us in love to one another. ‘Midst all the hell we feel within, on Christ’s completed work, we lean, together. Hold onto hope today, and reach out to share it with someone else.
May we be filled with joy and peace, and hope through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sara Robb-Scott is the Pastor for Senior Adults and Pastoral Care at First Baptist Decatur. You can follow her on Twitter or read more of her writings on her blog.