SHARE Magazine July 2016 | Page 34

In Praise of Hymn My Hope is Built on Nothing Less 1 2 3 4 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. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; In every high and stormy gale My anchor holds within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. His oath, His covenant, and blood Support me in the whelming flood; When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh, may I then in Him be found, Clothed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne! On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand. Reviewing Great Christian Hymns Author: Edward Mote, c. 1834, cento, Composer: John Stainer, 1873, arr. Tune: “Magdalen” The refrain of “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less” refers to the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Builders and builds around the metaphor of Christ as a rock with a firm basis in Scripture (1 Corinthians 10:4). The first stanza declares God’s grace; stanzas 2 and 3 concern the application of that grace in times of trouble. In the final stanza, Mote brings his hymn full circle with the ultimate realization of God’s grace. The hymn became very popular and has been subject of many interpretations and covers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Hope_Is_Built_on_Nothing_Less 34 | SHARE|MAGAZINE July - September 2016