Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock
Within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness,
A rest upon the way
From the burning of the noontide heat
And the burden of the day.
Upon that cross of Jesus
Mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One
Who suffered there for me;
And from my smitten heart, with tears,
Two wonders I confess:
The wonders of His glorious love
And my unworthiness.
I take, O Cross, thy shadow
For my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than
The sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by,
To know no gain or loss,
My sinful self– my only shame,
My glory– all the cross.
Elizabeth Clephane, 1868
Read Isaiah 25:1-5
(“Fain” is an old King James kind of word that we don’t really use anymore. It means to have a deep desire or even to feel compelled. The author’s desire to stay near the cross of Christ is a desire to remain ever mindful not only of the awful cost but of the sublime blessing of the cross. Sometimes we confine those meditations to Easter season or the moments before the Lord’s Supper. Take a moment and consider for yourself. Perhaps you too will come away saying, “Two wonders I confess: /The wonders of His glorious love /And my unworthiness.”)