My Solid Rock

2 Sam 22:2-3

My friend Jan has a stone named Ebenezer. She picked up the rock during a hard trial as a reminder that God is her help. You can read about it on her blog Jewels of Encouragement.

Jan challenges her readers to get their own Ebenezers. She suggests we each find a rock and put it in a place where we’ll run across it occasionally to remind us that God is our help. I might do that, but I already have an Ebenezer. Mine’s not a physical stone; it’s an emotional one.

When I go through trials, I feel like I’m swimming in rough waters. I can swim, but fighting the storm wears me out. I get tired and need help to keep from sinking. That’s when I put my feet down and feel the Rock beneath me. When I stand on the Rock, the waters don’t necessarily calm down, but I’m on a solid surface that keeps me from being swept away.

I first pictured this Rock under my feet when Neal was diagnosed with leukemia and the doctors offered no hope. Through the days of waiting in the hospital while he was in a coma, I was overwhelmed, but I frequently put my feet down to stand on the Rock. Afterward, some people told me I was so strong because I survived the trial with my faith intact. 

I wasn’t strong, the Rock was.

I thank God that I haven’t experienced any more trials that overwhelming. But there have still been many times when I’ve needed to put my feet down and stand on the Rock.

It’s always there.

He’s always there.

Jesus is always there.

Like Jan, I love a hymn that reminds me of this precious truth.

The Solid Rock (by Edward Mote)

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. 

Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil. 

His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

My Ebenezer is named Jesus and He is indeed my help.

Immanuel

Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 4:9-11

The theme of our VBS this year is to introduce the kids to some of the names of God. It’s a difficult topic and has led to some deep discussions about the nature of God. I have a group of kids who want to know more about Him so they can understand Him better. So far we’ve learned about Elohim – the Creator, El Elyon – the Lord Most High, and Immanuel – God with us (whom we know as Jesus).

The kids asked some hard questions while they were trying to put all these concepts together. One question we struggled with was how God can be everywhere. They looked around the field where we were gathered in groups under tents and tried to picture God standing in each tent. They clearly see Jesus with us, but how can He be with the kids in the other tents at the same time? God, of course, has revealed Himself in His creation and I was able to use air as an example of one thing being everywhere to help them understand. (Yes, one of the boys brought up molecules, but he got the concept.)

Then we went on to talk about God being in Heaven. God is in Heaven sitting on a throne, so is Jesus sitting on the same throne or does He have a different one? How can Jesus be the same as God when God was present as a dove at Jesus’ baptism?

Hard questions with no easy answers, but we all agreed that we can’t expect to completely understand God. After all, He’s God.

The throne question made me curious, so I looked up the verses I could find about the throne of God. Setting aside the imagery ones about the heavens and His people being his throne, I focused on the visions of Isaiah, Daniel and John. I didn’t really find any clarity (did I really expect to?) but one thing has emerged for me.

Jesus is the Son of Man who approaches the Ancient One. He has authority, honor and sovereignty and His rule is eternal.

Only God is sovereign and only God is eternal.

I may not be able to explain this very well to my kids because I don’t understand it very well myself. But I know that Jesus is God.

Jesus made me. He’s Elohim – the Creator.

Jesus is my Lord. He’s El Elyon – the Lord Most High.

And Jesus is with me. He’s Immanuel – God with us.

It makes me want to worship with the ones who lay their crowns before the throne. Jesus is worthy to receive glory and honor and power.

Blessings of Walking in the Light

Psalm 56:13, 2 Corinthians 4:6

One of the unusual things I got to do as a missionary kid was to climb a volcano – well, actually, two volcanoes. In both cases, part of the climb was made in the dark, once to see the sunrise from the top and the other to see the lava flow in the dark. It’s hard to climb a little mountain path in the dark, even when you have a flashlight and a guide. You have to look at your feet so you won’t trip over roots or slip on loose rocks. You have to trust that the person in front of you is actually on a path. It’s so much easier to climb in the full light of the day.

That’s the difference between living in spiritual darkness and living in God’s light. 

If I were walking in darkness, I would be slipping, not knowing whether I was even on a path and, even if I didn’t know it, I’d be walking toward death. When I believed in Jesus, He rescued me from death. I know this intellectually, but I don’t really remember walking in darkness. God blessed me by saving me when I was a young child. For me – and I think all Christians, no matter how long they walked in darkness – the real issue is walking in the light.

To walk in the light is to walk in God’s presence. That means that the reason I can see where I’m going is that He is walking in front of me. I can trust Him because He is the light that shows me the path. Psalm 16:11 says,” Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (KJV)

These are the blessings of walking in the light.

The path of life: Jesus said He came to give us abundant life. (John 10:10) An abundant life is one that is productive, satisfying and not self-centered. I get to live to please Him and that is so much better than living to please myself.

Fullness of joy: Joy gives me strength. I can live that abundant life because I have full joy. I don’t give in to worry or fear or jealousy or moodiness when I’m joyful.

Pleasures for evermore: One of my struggles is giving in to minor pleasures that keep me away from that joy I just mentioned. Eating something right now and then not being hungry for a great meal later. Sleeping a little longer and then not having time to read my Bible in the morning. But when I walk in the light the minor pleasures fade away as I enjoy the true pleasures God has prepared for me. And they will last.

Climbing the volcano in the dark is worth it when you get to the top and see the lava shooting up into the sky or the sun rising over the nearby peaks. But the reason you do it is to see the light. The darkness is something you leave behind you when you get to the light.