THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret places of the cliff,
Let me see your face,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your face is lovely.”
SONG OF SOLOMON 2:14
One of the famous hymns of all time was written in the 1700’s by Augustus Toplady called Rock of Ages. In this song, Toplady describes protection from life’s storms, hidden away in the cleft of the rock. He had obviously found the protection and safety found only in this place of intimacy with God. Listen to these famous, timeless words, as they ring through the centuries.
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.
This world we live in is an extremely dangerous place. There is trouble, sometimes hidden trouble, facing us on a regular basis. We are threatened with disease, troubled by financial woes, endangered by violent attacks, increasingly worried about terrorists, not to mention the unusual natural calamities that seem to be happening on a much more frequent basis. We need a place of refuge that we can run to in this increasingly, hostile world.
In his song, Rev. Toplady tells us of this place,”Rock of ages cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee”. He had discovered the intimacy, that brings shelter, in the clefts of the Rock. Who is that Rock? Of course, it is our precious Savior. What are the clefts? They are the wounds that Jesus suffered in our place. Jesus suffered and died, to bring us intimacy with Himself. This place of intimacy is the source of all life. Flowing from the wounds of Christ is life itself, all we need for security and satisfaction in this crazy world. As we begin our day today, let’s go in to the place of safety, this is where we will see His face, this is where we will hear His voice, for His voice is sweet and His face is lovely. Just as Toplady discovered in the 1700’s, Christ is our hiding place. We can find a place of refuge, rest, and refreshing in the clefts of the Rock.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
1 thought on “THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCK”
it is a great comfort knowing we are covered as his children he will order our stes and be with us we are not alone he is there in the midst of all of it we can have his peace when everything else has gone bonkers good word God bless Randy