Do you need a ROCK today? Reading Psalm 18 challenged me..."The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn (strength) of my salvation, my stronghold." (verse 2)
David expresses his heart's cry with these very words repeatedly throughout the book of Psalms. He was continually in need of a rock. He was relentlessly pursued by his enemies (verse3). As I fed on these passages this morning, the thought came...not so many of us have our earthly enemies - flesh and blood people pursuing us. Perhaps some of us do out there in the cut throat business world, or in our culture of survival of the fittest where greed and trying to be better and have more than everyone else abounds. But I don't have someone lurking around the corner waiting to devour me.
Or do I? I may not have a flesh and blood "friend" desiring to offend or attack me, but I do have an "enemy" who is after my soul. And I have little "enemies" wanting to steal my joy and victory. We all have them.....they have names...insecurity, hopelessness, fear, anxiety, pride, self-loathing, ungratefulness....those "buttons" that get pushed to get us to take our eyes off the Rock.
Years ago, I circled and noted Psalm 18:17-18 in my Bible "He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support." In the margin, I wrote, "my demons....my problems, struggles and sin". When problems arise or disaster strikes, those little "enemies" can rear their ugly heads to discourage me and drag me down. To take me down a path I once trod, but no longer live. An enemy is really someone or something that opposes you. Yes, my struggles, sin, little problems do oppose me....they don't want me to move on or to walk in joy despite my circumstances. They don't want me to get out of bed in the morning. They don't want me to respond in kindness or in the "opposite spirit" of this world I live in. They are my little "enemies" so to speak.
Oh, but read on...verse 19..."He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because he delighted in me." HE DELIGHTS IN ME - and YOU!
The LORD my ROCK, "Yahweh Tsuri" - the Hebrew noun tsur is translated "stone" or "rock". What better noun to display God's stability, permanence, His protection and His enduring faithfulness? Rocks are often used to provide a foundation - to build altars, temples, houses and city walls. They can provide shelter, shade and safety in the wilderness. They can be an anchor in a rushing river. In the Old Testament, they were used to commemorate important events in Israel's eventful history.
Do we need to be reminded today that He is our Rock? Is that same old insecurity or fear or sin that God has enabled us by His spirit and healing to overcome in the past creeping up (that button pushed) to cause us to fear? Are we worried about something that we really have no control over? Is an "enemy" poking at you to bring discouragement or feelings of hopelessness. Has a word been spoken, perhaps unintentionally, that has caused old feelings to surface? Do we need a Rock today?
Let me clarify something...if there are things in our lives that really need some serious prayer, unconfessed sin or bondages that we have never allowed to see the light of day, those areas will continue to hurt us and hound us until we deal with them. James 5:16 tells us to "confess our sins one to another and pray for each other that we may be healed." We need our spiritual leadership and community of friends to pray and see us set free from those things that have wounded us and kept us from being all God desires us to be.
But we are at war in this world we live in. We don't live in a perfect world. Life happens and troubles exist. However, with God we can walk in freedom and victory. And we sure need the eternal ROCK to grab onto. Daily we need that Rock to be our strength, our fortress. Daily we need to be reminded that HE is more reliable than the ground we stand on. When we are shaken, He can steady us. When we are in trouble, He can save us. Because He DELIGHTS in us.
A few wonderful, encouraging chunks of "daily bread" to feed on today if you are feeling you need a ROCK to be your stability. My prayer for you (and me) is that whatever faces us in this year 2012, we will trust in that Rock. Prayerfully consider how your life could be different at the end of this year if you experienced more deeply the Truth that God is YOUR ROCK?
David expresses his heart's cry with these very words repeatedly throughout the book of Psalms. He was continually in need of a rock. He was relentlessly pursued by his enemies (verse3). As I fed on these passages this morning, the thought came...not so many of us have our earthly enemies - flesh and blood people pursuing us. Perhaps some of us do out there in the cut throat business world, or in our culture of survival of the fittest where greed and trying to be better and have more than everyone else abounds. But I don't have someone lurking around the corner waiting to devour me.
Or do I? I may not have a flesh and blood "friend" desiring to offend or attack me, but I do have an "enemy" who is after my soul. And I have little "enemies" wanting to steal my joy and victory. We all have them.....they have names...insecurity, hopelessness, fear, anxiety, pride, self-loathing, ungratefulness....those "buttons" that get pushed to get us to take our eyes off the Rock.
Years ago, I circled and noted Psalm 18:17-18 in my Bible "He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support." In the margin, I wrote, "my demons....my problems, struggles and sin". When problems arise or disaster strikes, those little "enemies" can rear their ugly heads to discourage me and drag me down. To take me down a path I once trod, but no longer live. An enemy is really someone or something that opposes you. Yes, my struggles, sin, little problems do oppose me....they don't want me to move on or to walk in joy despite my circumstances. They don't want me to get out of bed in the morning. They don't want me to respond in kindness or in the "opposite spirit" of this world I live in. They are my little "enemies" so to speak.
Oh, but read on...verse 19..."He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because he delighted in me." HE DELIGHTS IN ME - and YOU!
The LORD my ROCK, "Yahweh Tsuri" - the Hebrew noun tsur is translated "stone" or "rock". What better noun to display God's stability, permanence, His protection and His enduring faithfulness? Rocks are often used to provide a foundation - to build altars, temples, houses and city walls. They can provide shelter, shade and safety in the wilderness. They can be an anchor in a rushing river. In the Old Testament, they were used to commemorate important events in Israel's eventful history.
Do we need to be reminded today that He is our Rock? Is that same old insecurity or fear or sin that God has enabled us by His spirit and healing to overcome in the past creeping up (that button pushed) to cause us to fear? Are we worried about something that we really have no control over? Is an "enemy" poking at you to bring discouragement or feelings of hopelessness. Has a word been spoken, perhaps unintentionally, that has caused old feelings to surface? Do we need a Rock today?
Let me clarify something...if there are things in our lives that really need some serious prayer, unconfessed sin or bondages that we have never allowed to see the light of day, those areas will continue to hurt us and hound us until we deal with them. James 5:16 tells us to "confess our sins one to another and pray for each other that we may be healed." We need our spiritual leadership and community of friends to pray and see us set free from those things that have wounded us and kept us from being all God desires us to be.
But we are at war in this world we live in. We don't live in a perfect world. Life happens and troubles exist. However, with God we can walk in freedom and victory. And we sure need the eternal ROCK to grab onto. Daily we need that Rock to be our strength, our fortress. Daily we need to be reminded that HE is more reliable than the ground we stand on. When we are shaken, He can steady us. When we are in trouble, He can save us. Because He DELIGHTS in us.
Psalm 18
Psalm 144:1-2, 7-10
2 Samuel 22:2-4
1 Samuel 2:2
1 Peter 2:6
Isaiah 26:3-4
Psalm 62:1-2
A few wonderful, encouraging chunks of "daily bread" to feed on today if you are feeling you need a ROCK to be your stability. My prayer for you (and me) is that whatever faces us in this year 2012, we will trust in that Rock. Prayerfully consider how your life could be different at the end of this year if you experienced more deeply the Truth that God is YOUR ROCK?Even when we take "leaps of faith" that same Rock will always be there as our foundation :)
0 comments:
Post a Comment