A hymn and its story
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less, often called The Solid Rock, was written around 1834 by Edward Mote, a London cabinetmaker who later became a Baptist pastor. It confesses that a Christian's only sure foundation is Jesus Christ and His righteousness, and that every other ground is sinking sand.
Words by Edward Mote, about 1834 · often known by its refrain, The Solid Rock
A cabinetmaker who came late to faith wrote the hymn that says your hope is only as steady as the thing it stands on, and names that thing.
My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less at a glance
- Words
- Edward Mote, about 1834
- Also known as
- The Solid Rock
- Tune
- SOLID ROCK, by William B. Bradbury
Who wrote My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less, and why?
Edward Mote was born in London in 1797 and grew up, by his own account, without Christian teaching at home. He was apprenticed as a cabinetmaker and came to faith as a young man. He wrote this hymn around 1834, and later in life became a Baptist pastor in Horsham, Sussex, where he served for more than twenty years.
The hymn is built on a single image from the teaching of Jesus: two houses, one on rock and one on sand, and a storm that tests which is which. Mote's refrain makes the claim personal, that all other ground is sinking sand.
The words of 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;
All other ground is sinking sand.
The Scripture behind My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less
What does My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less mean?
Most people's confidence rests quietly on something that can move: how their faith feels this week, how well they have behaved, whether life is going smoothly. The hymn calls that the sweetest frame and refuses to trust it. It is sung in seasons of doubt because it does not ask the singer to feel certain. It asks them to notice what they are standing on, and tells them that other foundation can no man lay than Jesus Christ.
Sing it, and mean it
A hymn is a prayer you can carry in your chest. The people who wrote these did not write from a stage; they wrote from shipwreck and sickbeds, from ordinary faithful mornings, and handed us words for the days we cannot find our own. You do not have to sing well. You only have to lift it, and mean it, to the One it is about.
Meet the One these hymns are aboutWorship in The Living BreadWhen you are doubtingWhere hope restsJesus Christ is Lord.
Frequently asked questions
- Who wrote My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less?
- Edward Mote, a London cabinetmaker who later became a Baptist pastor in Horsham, Sussex. He wrote it around 1834.
- Why is it called The Solid Rock?
- Because of its refrain, 'On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.' Many hymnals list it by that line rather than its first.
- What Scripture is The Solid Rock based on?
- The teaching of Jesus about two houses, one built on rock and one on sand, and Paul's words that no other foundation can be laid than Jesus Christ.
Sources
Dates and attributions are checked against these sources. The reflections are our own words.
