God is My Rock
In my last post, I hinted at the fact that the sea was chaotic. It was filled with storms and surges and in the eyes of the Israelites, it was a place of sheer terror.
Shocking, since the ocean is what I picture when I think of my happy place.
But the waters that gleam as my place of peace are the same waters that brought about fear, inconsistency, storms, chaos, and wrath.
So basically, sea = scary.
In the same way, the wilderness was not a friendly jungle with laughing birds and singing bears. It is a scorpion-infested death trap marked by treacherous slopes and steep valleys.
Wilderness = also scary.
The people of Israel had to face a lot of unknowns, and a lot of scary places. As we hiked these hills and waded through these waters, we got a taste of the fearsome endeavors they were forced to endure. However, despite the difficulty of nature's obstacles, one thing was certain:
If you got up high enough on a rock, the obstacles were no match for you.
The sea could not wash over you.
The hills could not block you.
The scorpions could not climb to you.
Being on a rock lifts you up from the chaos, the fear, the inconsistency, and the evil.
Psalm 62 declares, "God is my rock, I will not be shaken."
What would it look like in our lives if we learned to stand on the Rock of God?
In Psalm 61, David cries out, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I."
The rock that uplifts us. The rock that allows us to rise above our doubts, our insecurities, our issues of jealousy and discontentment and our drama and our stress. The rock is above the valley. The rock overlooks the pits of fear. There is NO ROCK like our God.
I love the song we always sing in chapel:
I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation.
I will put my trust in You alone and I will not be shaken.
God is our firm foundation. But He as our Rock is SO much more. You see, rocks weren't only meant to stand on.
Rocks are also used for protection. To build a fortress. From the rocks, springs flow, which means that rocks are also providers and sustainers. Rocks help plants grow, so rocks are the providential source necessary for life and life abundant.
I think it's time we start seeing God the same way.
Shocking, since the ocean is what I picture when I think of my happy place.
But the waters that gleam as my place of peace are the same waters that brought about fear, inconsistency, storms, chaos, and wrath.
So basically, sea = scary.
In the same way, the wilderness was not a friendly jungle with laughing birds and singing bears. It is a scorpion-infested death trap marked by treacherous slopes and steep valleys.
Wilderness = also scary.
The people of Israel had to face a lot of unknowns, and a lot of scary places. As we hiked these hills and waded through these waters, we got a taste of the fearsome endeavors they were forced to endure. However, despite the difficulty of nature's obstacles, one thing was certain:
If you got up high enough on a rock, the obstacles were no match for you.
The sea could not wash over you.
The hills could not block you.
The scorpions could not climb to you.
Being on a rock lifts you up from the chaos, the fear, the inconsistency, and the evil.
Psalm 62 declares, "God is my rock, I will not be shaken."
What would it look like in our lives if we learned to stand on the Rock of God?
In Psalm 61, David cries out, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I."
The rock that uplifts us. The rock that allows us to rise above our doubts, our insecurities, our issues of jealousy and discontentment and our drama and our stress. The rock is above the valley. The rock overlooks the pits of fear. There is NO ROCK like our God.
I love the song we always sing in chapel:
I will build my life upon your love, it is a firm foundation.
I will put my trust in You alone and I will not be shaken.
God is our firm foundation. But He as our Rock is SO much more. You see, rocks weren't only meant to stand on.
Rocks are also used for protection. To build a fortress. From the rocks, springs flow, which means that rocks are also providers and sustainers. Rocks help plants grow, so rocks are the providential source necessary for life and life abundant.
I think it's time we start seeing God the same way.