O Safe to the Rock That is Higher than I (Hiding in Thee)

Text by William O Cushing (1823-1902)

Tune by: Ira Sankey

https://youtu.be/zmAJW7RseV8

1. O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
   My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
   So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
   Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee.

   Refrain
   Hiding in Thee, Hiding in Thee,
   Thou blest Rock of Ages,
   I’m hiding in Thee.

   2. In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
   In times when temptation casts o’er me its power;
   In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
   Thou blest Rock of Ages, I’m hiding in Thee. [Refrain]

   3. How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
   I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe;
   How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
   Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul. [Refrain]

William Cushing

William Orcutt Cushing was born on December 31, 1823 and died on October 19, 1902. His parents brought him up in the Unitarian church and William even prepared to become a Unitarian minister. However, as a young man, he began his own personal study of the Bible and became an Orthodox Christian as a young adult. In 1854 he both married his wife Rea, and wrote his first hymn. “When He Cometh” was written for the children in the Sunday School at the church he served in Trumansburg. He continued to minister to several congregations throughout central New York until 1870, when Rea passed away. At the same time, Cushing began to suffer a condition described as “creeping paralysis.” This led him to lose his voice, a most difficult condition for a preacher. He returned to Searsburg, NY and retired at the age of 47.

Despite his declining health Cushing still wanted to serve the Lord in whatever capacity he could. He returned to hymn writing, something he had only dabbled with before now. He quickly discovered his calling! He went on to write over 300 hymns. Some of the better known are: “The Name of Jesus,” “Home at Last,” “Beautiful Valley of Eden,” “Down in the Valley with My Savior I Will Go,” and “Ring the Bells of Heaven.” “O Safe to the Rock” is by far his most widely used hymn. He would often partner with composers such as Robert Lowry and Willian Doane on his hymns.

O Safe to the Rock

In Mr. Cushing’s words:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Psalms 62:7. The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. 2 Samuel 22:3.

The description of God as the Rock occurs over 50 times in the Bible. The image is of an immoveable object and often a place of comfort or communion with God. These were not the small rocks we find in our yards, but rather rocks the size of mountains. The mountain which has always been there for as long as anybody remembers. Within it we find shelter from the storms of life and shelter from our enemies. Cushing interestingly borrows August Toplady’s term: Rock of Ages. This term doesn’t appear in scripture, however it is an apt summary of the dozens of usages of the word “rock” to describe God’s presence in our lives.

Within this “Rock of Ages” we can fly to hide or find shelter from the conflicts and sorrows of life. Regardless of the time, whether at high noon or in sorrow’s lone hour, whenever the tempests of life blow, we are blest by the Rock of Ages, we can hide in Thee. It is in the safe refuge of our Lord we can escape the trails and sins of the world. We can find rest in this refuge.