Rock of Ages

Warren led worship a couple of Sundays ago, and played a hymn that I've been waiting for him to do since we heard it so nicely done on a CD recently...You can listen as you read. :)



Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure; Save from wrath and make me pure.

I looked up the word "cleft", and here's what it means: broken, cracked, parted, pierced, rent, ruptured, separated, sundered, or torn. The ROCK of AGES was cleft for me! What a backwards thing to do, to be so mighty and yet be pierced for one so weak as me.

Not the labor of my hands can fulfill Thy law’s demands; Could my zeal no respite know, Could my tears forever flow, These for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

No, not if I worked a thousand years could I save myself. You know how sometimes just crying seems to make everything better? (Well, at least the women out there will understand that...) Well, rivers of those tears would make no difference.

Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress; Helpless look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die... Wash me, Savior, or I die.

Wash me, Savior, or I die! Oh, how I have felt this, as thought I would fall apart if I were left to my own devices. And truly, what would happen if I, unwashed and in the filth of my own flesh, stood before a pure and holy God? I'm not exactly sure, but I can imagine that the only word to describe it fully is death, because He would not, COULD not, look upon me and I would be alone, separated forever from Him.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I rise to worlds unknown, and behold Thee on Thy throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee. Let me hide myself, let me hide myself, let me hide myself in Thee.

Let me hide myself...let me hide myself...If only, every single day, I hid myself in my Jesus. It is not me who is worth knowing...It's Him in me. So often in my pride I think myself higher than I ought, and I parade around as though I'm the one worth gazing upon or following or admiring. Not so, people...If you know me well I'm sure you can attest to it. Oh, how I wish I hid myself in Him more often.