Beneath the Cross of Jesus
History
Elizabeth Clephane was a young Scottish poet. Her father was the Sheriff of Fife, a lieutenancy near Edinburgh. She died at the young age of 39, before she would ever have the chance to see her work published. Her works were published posthumously in a Presbyterian magazine titled The Family Treasury in 1873 by the editor, Reverend William Arnot. He gave the introduction that, “These lines express the experiences, the hopes, and the longings of a young Christian lately released. Written on the very edge of this life, with the better land fully, in the view of faith, they seem to us footsteps printed on the sands of Time, where these sands touch the ocean of Eternity. These footprints of one whom the Good Shepherd led through the wilder‐ ness into rest may, with God's blessing, contribute to comfort and direct succeeding pilgrims.”
The great song leader Ira Sankey popularized her work in America with two notable hymns: “The Ninety and the Nine,” and this hymn, “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.” Sankey would later share about this hymn as a memory he would not soon forget.
Sankey and Reverend W. H. Aitkin were at a mission in London, ready for God to move powerfully through the service. It was the very first time that the hymn would be sung publicly, and Sankey had planned it as a solo. The words moved both the attenders and the preacher to tears, hearts heavy. As the final words of the hymn echoed through the minds of the listeners, the preacher stood and announced that he had a different message in mind, but this hymn had brought only the cross of Jesus to the forefront. And so he changed his message, preaching on the cross. According to Sankey, that sermon would be one of the most powerful that he had ever heard, and many souls came to Christ. The hymn became a staple for Reverend Aitkin as he met for revival meetings in the following years.
Elizabeth Clephane would never know how her simple poetry would be used by faithful ministers of the Kingdom and by the Spirit of God to impact countless lives and turn hearts toward the gospel.
Devotion
In the first two lines of this hymn, Elizabeth Clephane presents a somewhat startling juxtaposition. She introduces the cross of Jesus, an implement of horrible suffering and death, and declares a glad willing‐ ness to take a stand under the cross. Fain is a word that may not be commonly used today, but it describes a picture of being well pleased to do something.
The cross of Christ should compel us to confidence in Him. And not strictly that we find any pleasure in the instrument of our Savior’s death, but rather that we lean on the result of that sacrifice. Through the cross, Jesus brought us closer to God than we could ever approach on our own. 1 Peter 3:18, which we observed on day 10, reminds us that “Christ suffered once for sins... that he might bring us to God.”
Why would we ever gladly take shelter in the shadow of the cross? Because that’s where our hope and salvation are. That’s where Jesus is. Our hope and our confidence for the trials and challenges of life are found in Christ and what He did for us. Our God is our deliverer.
King David recognized God as His sole deliverer when he was but a young shepherd. In what world does it make sense for a small young man to take on a battle-hardened giant? A world where the God of creation loves His children and works for their deliverance. When we see God’s deliverance in action in the Old Testament, it is all a fore‐ shadowing of the ultimate deliverance that we’ll find in Christ when we put our hope and our faith and our trust in Him.
Through the prophets, God promised deliverance for His people. Through Jesus, God gave us that deliverance and that rest. Beneath the cross, we can cast all our burdens and cares on Christ—and that’s not simply a catchy statement. It’s the reality of our relationship with Him. We can find a home in the wilderness, a shelter from the storm, and hope for our salvation when we take our shelter in the cross's shadow.
So, on this side of the cross, you can gladly take shelter in the embrace of Jesus. The torrential storms of life can’t harm us in the arms of Christ. That doesn’t mean that life will always be simple or easy. But we have an indomitable Savior in Jesus, and He will never flinch in the face of challenges. So keep your eyes on Him and trust His
deliverance.
Related Scripture
1 Samuel 17:36-37; Isaiah 4:3-6; Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 9:11-12
Beneath the Cross of Jesus lyrics
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 the cross of Jesus
mine eye at times can see
the very dying form of One
who suffered there for me:
and from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess,
the wonders of redeeming 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 nor loss;
my sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.
