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The hymn, “My hope is built on nothing else“, sometimes called “Solid Rock” was authored by Edward Mote. Edward Mote was born in Upper Thames Street, London on January 21, 1797. Through the preaching of the Rev. J. Hyatt, of Tottenham Court Road Chapel, he underwent a great spiritual change; and ultimately he became a Baptist minister. For the last 26 years of his life he was pastor at Horsham, Sussex, where he died Nov. 13, 1874. Mr. Mote published several small pamphlets; and also “Hymns of Praise. A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, combining all the Excellencies of our spiritual Poets, with many Originals. By E. Mote. London. J. Nichols, 1836.” The Originals number nearly 100.

This is Mr. Mote’s explanation of how he composed, “My hope is based on nothing else,” communicated to the Gospel Herald.

“One morning it came into my mind as I went to labour, to write an hymn on the ‘Gracious Experience of a Christian.’ As I went up Holborn I had the chorus,

‘On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.’

In the day I had four first verses complete, and wrote them off. On the Sabbath following I met brother King as I came out of Lisle Street Meeting . . . who informed me that his wife was very ill, and asked me to call and see her. I had an early tea, and called afterwards. He said that it was his usual custom to sing a hymn, read a portion, and engage in prayer, before he went to meeting. He looked for his hymnbook but could find it nowhere. I said, ‘I have some verses in my pocket; if he liked, we would sing them.’ We did; and his wife enjoyed them so much, that after service he asked me, as a favour, to leave a copy of them for his wife. I went home, and by the fireside composed the last two verses, wrote the whole off, and took them to sister King. . . As these verses so met the dying woman’s case, my attention to them was the more arrested, and I had a thousand printed for distribution. I sent one to the Spiritual Magazine, without my initials, which appeared some time after this. Brother Rees, of Crown Street, Soho, brought out an edition of hymns [1836], and this hymn was in it. David Denham introduced it [1837] with Rees’s name, and others after…Your inserting this brief outline may in future shield me from the charge of stealth, and be a vindication of truthfulness in my connection with the Church of God.”

Please find the first 4 stanzas of “My hope is built on nothing else” below.

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil. [Refrain]

3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]

“My hope is built on nothing else” was based on Matthew 7:24-28.

READ Matthew 7:24-28

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching. ( Matthew 7:25-28 NKJV)

Christ uses the figure of speech, called  “Simile”, to compare those who hear His sayings here; and says the one who does them is like, “a wise man who builds his house on a rock“. He added that when the rain, the floods, and the winds came, what the wise person built did not fall.

Corona virus is still in the News. It has been the largest storm to hit the world in recent times. Spain is still struggling with surging infections and and thinking of imposing a state of emergency; and Anthony Fauchi just announced over 70,000 cases in the US for just yesterday, with over a thousand deaths! Some who have survived so far have been wiped clean of all they built over the years, because of its effect on economic activities.

But those whose faith was built on God, and not on what they owned or built, are still holding strong and trusting God to restore them. I know He will. 

Psalm 18:2, one of the other scriptures on which “My hope is built on nothing else” was based reads:

“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.” 

Putting our hope in anything else can be disappointing! Researchers tell us the Covid-19 is a very weak virus; but look at the disaster it has wreaked!

Let us put our hope and trust in God. Please help me sing, “My Hope is built on nothing else.”

MEMORY VERSE

“...and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:25)

QUESTIONS

1. Is your faith and hope built on Christ the rock?

2. Will they stand the storms?

PRAYER TIP

Everlasting and faithful Father, please help us have faith and hope in nothing else but You.

Written by:
BENNY MALM

For:
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URGENT CALL

By nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God. We ultimately face the wrath of God!

But God in His mercy and love gives us a chance to reverse this trend, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.

The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved. 

Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.

It is a very personal decision. No one can make for you.

If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God!

Do you want to make that decision today?

Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for guidance if you want to make that decision.

We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page.

God richly bless you

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God richly bless you.

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