Stand On The Rock
The Lord is our Rock! The Psalmist expresses this truth in the second verse of Psalm 18.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 (ESV)
Not all rocks are the same. In the summer of 1994, I went on an impromptu trout fishing trip with two friends from college. As we were fishing up in the mountains of South Carolina, I was behind my friend, Skeeter. He weighed about 120 pounds and was hopping from rock to rock in the river. As I followed him, weighing a bit more, I found that often the rock that supported him did not support me. Many times I was dumped into the cold mountain stream as the rock rolled over under my weight. Not all rocks are the same.
As I write this article, I feel a lot like I did that day sitting in the cold river, wondering how much more of this I can take. As we look around our lives it seems that our rocks have rolled over on us. The Russo-Ukrainian war has had worldwide implications. We see on our various screens the horror of war brought home. We feel it in our pocketbooks as further interruptions to our supply chains cause prices to rise. Emotionally, we are taxed to see the suffering that is happening right now. In a world made small by our technology, we are often only one person removed from a family member or friend trying to survive in conditions we find unimaginable completely senseless. You can add to it the real fears of some type of nuclear exchange, and we find ourselves in a world that seems volatile and even on the brink.
I see it in my community. A young man, a star basketball player for our local high school, was shot on the community court. His family has many connections to our congregation. My son played for the High school too. It is hard to wonder what may happen every time you walk outside. Where we once felt secure, we walk alertly and cautiously where ever we go.
These are two of the "rocks" that have flipped over on me in recent weeks. Many of the old ways of life are now gone. I remember that feeling of trying to get your footing on the slippery rocks and getting back on your feet after the rocks had flipped you into the river. I sit back and feel the same way as I try to process the world we live in today.
On that fishing trip, we came to a substantial rock—a boulder in the middle of the river. I think I stood on it and said, "This Rock will hold me!" or something to that effect. This rock is what we need today, and we only find it in the Lord.
As we work through the many problems of our day, we need to make sure we are standing on the true rock, which is the Lord. How can we do this?
- We need to lift up our vision, see where our help and hope come from, and see it is from the Lord. (Psalm 121:1-2)
- We need to know our God who is "Infinite, Eternal, and Unchangeable" (WSC #4)
- We need to cling to the promise of the Word of God to us as Christians.
- We need to keep believing, obeying, and following the Lord, no matter what may come.
In a TV Police drama, the officer's wife told her husband, "The only way not to lose is not to play at all!" There are times this may be true in the world, but not with the Lord. The only way to not win is to quit, give up, and lose faith.
Yes, we have had many of our rocks flip over on us, but the Lord stands unmoved. Stand firm on this solid rock by faith in Christ. Know that King Jesus is in complete control. Let the nations rage. Our God rules. Our God who is our Rock!
