Daily devotional, 13 June 2024 Rock solid
“For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
Psalm 62:1-2
Read the comment section of any marriage proposal video on social media and you’ll see responses about the “size of the rock” or the diamond in the engagement ring. The bigger the rock, the more pronounced the oohs and aaaaahs of everyone that sees. As if the promise of a happy married life is anchored on the strength and the enormousness of the stone in the engagement ring.
As followers of Jesus, we need not concern ourselves with the size of the rock that we have gotten or are to receive. What is more important is that we know that our worth does not come from what our groom thinks we deserve, but in what our Eternal Bridegroom in heaven thinks of us and promises us.
"For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called."
Isaiah 54:5
When God is our rock and foundation, we can rest assured that we have a source of strength that will help us endure the inevitable storms of our lives. That as long as we put our trust in Him, and surrender to His will, we can take refuge in His protection.
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,myGod, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence."
2 Samuel 22:2-3
So what does it mean to have the Lord as our rock and foundation? Well, it will help to know that one of God’s names in Hebrew “Yahweh Tsuri” which translates into the “Lord is my rock”.
In biblical times, big rocks provided shade, shelter, and a firm place to stand on when fighting enemies. In the present day, having God as our rock and refuge means He will be our first option when we need refuge from trouble, difficulties, or whatever challenges we face. Prayer will be our default first line of defense against problems, instead of last resort when we feel like we can no longer do anything about our situation.
"I love you, O Lord, my strength.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.I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,and I am saved from my enemies."
Psalm 18:1-3
When the Lord is our foundation, we will trust and hold on to His words and UNFAILING promises. We will follow His commands, live a life of faithful obedience, and have an unending hope that no matter what difficulties we face, all we have to do is to wait on the Lord for our deliverance.
"I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along."
Psalm 40:1-2
One bible character in the Old Testament that had always invoked God’s character as rock is King David. And this is often seen in the Psalms that he wrote and sung. Psalm 18 is one of those Psalms, which he wrote when he was younger, and sang again towards the end of his life. In it, he thanked God for being His solid foundation.
"This God—His way is perfect;the word of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?"
Psalm 18:30-31
We too can have King David’s confidence that the Lord will be our protection at all times. When we surrender our life to Him, repent and step away from our sins, and obey His commands, we can definitely claim His promises and wait on Him.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
1 John 5:14-15
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 18 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: Is God your rock and foundation?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for being my rock solid foundation. Thank you for being my refuge, and for ensuring that my feet are always on solid ground. Allow me to be confident enough to tell others about you. Amen.
