Cleft in a rock on Mount Horeb

“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 (NKJV)

There is no place safer than in God’s hands sheltered from the attacks of the world, the flesh, and the devil. The writer of this hymn sought her hiding place in the “rifted rock” that is Jesus Christ. He alone is our shield from the snares and sins and storms of life. May we flee to Him, our Savior and Protector, at the first signs of temptation!

Sweetly Resting

by Mary Dagworthy Yard James

In the rifted rock I’m resting,

Safely sheltered I abide;

There no foes nor storms molest me,

While within the cleft I hide.

Chorus

Now I’m resting, sweetly resting,

In the cleft once made for me;

Jesus, blessed Rock of Ages,

I will hide myself in Thee.

Long pursued by sin and Satan,

Weary, sad, I longed for rest;

Then I found this heav’nly shelter

Opened in my Savior’s breast.

[Chorus]

Peace which passeth understanding,

Joy the world can never give,

Now in Jesus I am finding,

In His smiles of love I live.

[Chorus]

In the rifted rock I’ll hide me,

Till the storms of life are past;

All secure in this blest refuge,

Heeding not the fiercest blast.

[Chorus]

* Mary Dagworthy Yard James (1810-1883) was born in Trenton, NJ, she married in 1834 and had a son who became a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church. She became a prominent figure in the Wesleyan Holiness movement of the early 1800s, assisting Phoebe Palmer (also a hymnist) and often leading meetings at Ocean Grove, NJ, and elsewhere. Another of her hymns begins “All for Jesus, all for Jesus, All my being’s ransomed powers,” written in 1871. It was said that she strived to live a life as close to Christ as possible. She died in New York City in 1883.

“These things I have spoken unto you,

that in me ye might have peace.

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;

I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

“He who loves silver

will not be satisfied with silver;

Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.

This also is vanity.”

Ecclesiastes 5:10

It is a mystery that a person can be content and dissatisfied at the same time. Here is how Jeremiah Burroughs puts it: “…he is the most contented man in the world, and yet the most unsatisfied man in the world; these two together must needs be mysterious. A man should be content with his affliction, and yet thoroughly sensible of his affliction too.”

The secret of Christian contentment lies in the object of the contentment. “Godliness teaches us this mystery. (I Timothy 6:6) Not to be satisfied with all the world for our portion, and yet to be content with the meanest condition in which we are. A little in the world will content a Christian for his passage, but all the world, and ten thousand times more, will not content a Christian for his portion. A carnal heart will be content with things of the world for his portion; and that is the difference between a carnal heart and a gracious heart.”

Lacking physical comforts, security, food, or money, the Apostle Paul explained why he was content: “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:12-13)

King Solomon understood that physical riches and pleasure are only vanity—futility and emptiness of soul that he called an evil disease. (Ecclesiastes 6:2) That emptiness produces dissatisfaction with life under the sun. As Christians, we know this to be true, but sometimes we deceive ourselves into thinking that something more will make us content in our misery. Unraveling the mystery of contentment is not found in something. It is found in someone.

“And Jesus said unto them,

I am the bread of life:

he that cometh to me shall never hunger;

and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

John 6:35

“Then [Jesus] said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.’ He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.’” Mark 14:34-36 (NKJV)

Christian contentment in the face of tragedy and disaster is a spiritual matter. It is also a matter of the heart. Because contentment calls us to submit to God’s sovereignty, it is also a matter of the will. We choose to submit to whatever God has for our lives even though it may be unpleasant or painful. The night before Jesus went to the cross, He understood the torture and suffering He would endure because it was the Father’s will that His Son should give His life to atone for the sins of the whole world. (I John 2:2; 4:10) In spite of the unimaginable horror that would cause the Father to look away from His Son, Jesus loved us enough to submit to the Father’s will.

“Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: ” Galatians 1:3-4 (KJV)

Thy Will Alone

by Lottie Blackwood *

Thy will alone, dear Lord,

Is all I care to do

In all I act, or speak, or think,

While I remain below.

I care not what I do,

I care not where I go,

If thou wilt gently lead me, Lord,

Down thro’ this vale of woe.

I’m not afraid to trust,

I see thy smiling face;

Thou hast drawn apart the veil for me,

Within the holiest place.

Then help me trust thee, Lord,

To all thy will I bow;

A humble suppliant at the throne,

Thou dost receive me now.

* Lottie Blackwood – We know nothing about her except that she wrote hymns in the late 19th century. Internet searches turned up a few hymns, but nothing about her. Some of her hymns appear to have been republished with slightly different titles. “Jesus Saves Even Me” (sheet music, 1885); “Thy Will Alone Dear Lord” (hymnal, 1887); “Thy Precious Will be Done” (hymnal, 1888); “Thy Will Alone” (hymnal, 1900).

“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:8-11 (NKJV)

If there is one verse that holds the secret to Christian contentment, it is Romans 12:1. Surrendering of our lives to God each day sets the stage for a daily walk in the Spirit. The principles of surrender are explained in Chapter 6 of Romans: in the new birth, received from God as a free gift by faith in Jesus Christ, we became identified with Christ for all eternity. When He died, we died with Him. When He rose from the dead, we rose with Him. Now, we walk in newness of life where, again by faith, sin holds no power over us and we can live moment by moment in pure fellowship with our Savior. Sin breaks that moment fellowship, but never the bond of eternal life. Confession of our sin (I John 1:9) instantly returns us to fellowship and a walk of joy and contentment. Romans 6 and Romans 12:1-2 together form the foundation upon which a believer can build a life of spiritual contentment. The words of the hymn “I Surrender All” and the inspiration for it from the writer’s life are reminders of our need to submit every moment to whatever circumstances our loving, gracious God sends our way.

I Surrender All

by Judson W. Van De Venter *

All to Jesus I surrender,

All to Him I freely give;

I will ever love and trust Him,

In His presence daily live.

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all;

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender,

Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;

Let me feel Thy Holy Spirit,

Truly know that Thou art mine. [Refrain]

All to Jesus I surrender,

Lord, I give myself to Thee;

Fill me with Thy love and power,

Let Thy blessing fall on me. [Refrain]

* Judson W. Van De Venter (1855-1939) was born on a farm in Michigan. Following graduation from Hillsdale College, he became an art teacher and supervisor of art in the public schools of Sharon, Pennsylvania. He was, in addition, an accomplished musician, singer, and composer. He was also an active in his church’s evangelistic meetings. Recognizing his talent for the ministry, friends urged him to give up teaching and become an evangelist. Van De Venter wavered for five years between becoming a recognized artist or devoting himself to ministry. Finally, he surrendered his life to the Lord and full-time ministry, and wrote the text of this hymn. Following his decision to surrender his life to the Lord, Van De Venter traveled throughout the United States, England, and Scotland, doing evangelistic work. Toward the end of his life, Van De Venter moved to Florida, and was professor of hymnology at the Florida Bible Institute for four years in the 1920s. Van De Venter published more than 60 hymns in his lifetime, but “I Surrender All” is his most famous.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:1-2

Peace, especially peace with God, is a mark of spiritual contentment. This hymn epitomizes the peace of God that passes all understanding and penetrates deep into our spirit to govern all that we do.

Wonderful Peace

by Warren Donald Cornell *

Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight

Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;

In celestial-like strains it unceasingly falls

O’er my soul like an infinite calm.

Refrain

Peace, peace! wonderful peace!

Coming down from the Father above,

Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray,

In fathomless billows of love.

What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace

Buried deep in the heart of my soul,

So secure that no power can mine it away

While the years of eternity roll. [Refrain]

I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,

Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control,

For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,

And His glory is flooding my soul. [Refrain]

And me thinks when I rise to that city of peace

Where the Author of peace I shall see,

That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing

In that heavenly kingdom shall be: [Refrain]

Ah! soul, are you here without comfort and rest,

Marching down the rough pathway of time?

Make Jesus your friend ere the shadows grow dark

O accept this sweet peace so sublime! [Refrain]

* Warren Donald Cornell (1858-1936) was born in Whiteford, Michigan, where he trained as a school teacher and began teaching in Dallas Public Schools at age 19. Licensed by the Southern Methodists, he was appointed to preach in Denton and Gainesville, Texas. He married in 1880 and had five sons. In 1881 he removed to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, area and spent most of his career preaching at various pastorates and in Berlin, Wisconsin. He was an eloquent preacher, poet, and evangelist. In 1894 he became minister of the People’s Christian Assn., in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and pastored an independent church there. In 1905, he left the ministry and entered real estate. He took an interest in political and social issues, and became a touring lecturer for anti-socialist causes. By 1925 he and his family had moved to New York state, where he died in 1936.

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