Rocks

January 27, 2024

“Rock of ages cleft for me,
“Let me hide myself in Thee.”

These words are the opening lyrics of the well-known hymn, “Rock of Ages,” written in 1773 by Reverend August M. Toplady. (Music by Thomas Hastings)

In “Rock of Ages,” Reverend Toplady focuses on the individual experience of being saved from peril in the storms of life. In theological terms, we are saved from destruction if we seek refuge in the Divine.

Legend says that Toplady wrote the hymn when he was a curate at St. Andrew’s in Blagdon, England. While traveling on horseback along the gorge in Burrington Combe, in the Mendip Hills, he was caught in a raging rainstorm and found shelter in a nearby rock formation. He reportedly wrote the lyrics for the hymn while sheltering there inside the rock.

When I was fifteen, while visiting my family in England, Dr. Rene Barclay, a dear cousin of my mother, drove my brother, mother, and me to the massive cleft in the rock where Reverend Toplady wrote the hymn. I was familiar with the well-known lyrics, so imagining a young curate dressed in black sheltering from a storm in the cleft was easy. Of course, we sang “Rock of Ages” or as much of it as we could recall.

When hearing the famous hymn, I visualize that cleft and realize that storms of life can come up without warning. As a result, our soul is tried and tested. Anger, shame, or fear may overtake us if there is an antagonism or emotional flare-up with someone. Others may disappoint us or try to defeat us. We may try to defeat ourselves. However, a spiritual formation exists inside us in which we can take refuge. It is the sacred space of our soul.

That spiritual formation is our rock that provides rest and refuge from the deluge of negative thoughts. We are safe, enfolded, and sustained in the quiet of our sacred inner space. In this internal holy space, away from the torrents of negativity, our soul meets the Divine. As a result, we are full of thanksgiving.

Inquiry: What is your rock?

Dear God, I am so grateful for the beauty of refuge in your presence. Amen

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