In Times Like These

Ruth Caye Jones was a pastor’s wife and a mother of five living in Pennsylvania. Late in 1943, the realities of the war were weighing heavily on the home front. As she read the Pittsburgh newspapers, she was deeply distressed by the mounting military casualty lists, the slow progress of Allied troops, and severe nationwide food rationing.

Seeking comfort, she opened her Bible to 2 Timothy 3:1, which reads: "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." Recognizing that her generation was living through those exact perilous times, she felt a strong prompting from the Holy Spirit.

While going about her daily household chores, the lyrics and melody began flooding her mind simultaneously. She pulled a small notepad out of her apron pocket and quickly penned the words and simple musical notes before she could forget them. Her lyrics also pulled heavily from Hebrews 6:19, which speaks of hope as a steady "anchor of the soul," giving life to her famous chorus about gripping the "Solid Rock."

The song was published in 1944 and resonated deeply with a hurting world. Years later, while watching a Billy Graham crusade on television, she wept as she listened to the famous baritone George Beverly Shea perform her song. She later said, "I can't believe I had any part in writing this song. I just feel that God gave it to me, and I gave it to the world."

In times like these we need a Savior
In times like these we need an anchor
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock

One writer said it like this: "Our lives are like the open seas—calm and pleasant one day; stormy and tempest-tossed the next. But in times like these we can be very sure our anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock."