My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less (ELW 596)
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
No merit of my own I claim,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
(Refrain)
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 ev’ry high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil. (Refrain)
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Sustain me in the raging flood;
When all supports are washed away,
He then is all my hope and stay. (Refrain)
When he shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then with him be found,
Clothed in his righteousness alone,
Redeemed to stand before the throne! (Refrain)
Devotion
Do you know who you are? As Christians we make a wild claim—that in baptism God gives us an entirely new identity in the life of Christ. Whatever else shapes our identity, it is our belonging in the kingdom of God that tells us who we truly are.
This is especially powerful news when I think about the other foundations I’ve found myself trying to stand on. I have trusted in my own smarts and hard work, and have looked for meaning in my own attempts at morality. Both have disappointed me. Less consciously, I have come to depend on my race and class and the privileges they offer me. As a source of meaning and identity, these supports do worse than disappoint—they keep me from embracing the God-made goodness in others. The only foundation that holds firm is the one I have in Christ, the solid rock. All other ground is sinking sand.
Prayer
Christ, be my solid rock and firm foundation today. Wherever I feel myself sinking, pull me up to the safety of your promises. Let me trust in you, for the sake of my neighbors and the world. Amen.