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.

The End of Darkness

Matthew6:22-23, John 12:35

About six years ago, I developed cataracts in both my eyes. I first noticed it when I started seeing halos around lights. When I drove at night, the headlights of the cars coming toward me spread so far, I couldn’t see the cars. I had to stop driving at night, because I couldn’t see the road.

That is what Jesus is warning about in these passages. When your eyesight is bad, you’re in darkness. And when you’re in darkness, you can’t see where you’re going.

People who are in darkness may not necessarily know it. They think they have light, but it’s actually darkness. Most people think they know some sort of truth. They have a sense of right and wrong, a code of sorts, and they try to live by it. It’s probably based on their experiences, their desires and some sort of teaching they’ve received. They find a cause and throw themselves into it – environmentalism, tolerance, social causes, politics. Or they live by a philosophy like, “Respect me and I’ll respect you.” But because their vision isn’t based on the of light of God’s truth, their philosophies fail. Like the halos that I see at night, the light they see actually blinds them and makes the darkness worse.

Because they are in the dark, they don’t know where they’re going. They may have a goal in mind, and they try to get there, but even if they know the way, they can’t stay on the road. They can’t see it.

People living in darkness need a light to show them the way. People living in darkness do evil things and don’t even know they are evil. People living in darkness need a light to see the truth. People living in darkness are lost.

I know and love a lot of people who are living in darkness and don’t know it. Thanks to God’s love and goodness, I have a message of hope for them. A light has come to dispel the darkness. His name is Jesus and He was born on Christmas. (John12:46)

Christmas is a celebration of the end of the darkness.

Painful Discipline

Psalm 39

One afternoon at boarding school, my friends and I were playing in the outbuildings behind the school. Some of the rooms were used for storage and we were allowed in them. But the school maids lived in the others. We were nosy and went into the maids’ rooms to explore. Naturally, just as we were coming out, a teacher caught us. I’m not sure how I managed it, but while the others were receiving a strong reprimand, I managed to hide in one of the storage rooms and avoided punishment.  I’ve always been ashamed of that incident, but I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to avoid discipline. 

The Psalmist knows he is being disciplined by God, but begs Him to stop. He knows he deserves the discipline and he knows it is good for him, but he doesn’t like it. He wants it to end so he can be happy again.

Sometimes God disciplines me and it’s not fun. I could try to avoid it – although God sees me when I hide from Him – but I know I need it. Instead, I can learn the proper responses from this Psalm.

I should bear the discipline in silence and especially not speak about it to unbelievers. I shouldn’t complain about my suffering. I know God is the One who has done it, and I need to be careful not to malign Him. Of course, that’s not easy. The longer David keeps his mouth shut, the more the words build up in him. But when he finally explodes, it is in prayer. His words are directed toward God, not in complaints about God. 

At this point, David recognizes his mortality. He wants to be reminded of the brevity of his life. I too should respond to discipline with a desire for God to put it into perspective. The things I think are important lose their value in light of eternity. God disciplines me in order to prepare me to live with Him forever. 

David particularly points out the vanity of accumulating wealth. Wealth provides so much for us. We usually get wealth by working, which is where many of us gain confidence and self-esteem. When we have wealth we are able to get all the comforts and pleasures we enjoy. Like David, I need God to remind me that these things are temporary and not trustworthy.

So I should hope in the Lord. He should be the foundation on which I rest and the One I depend on for everything I need and want. 

Not hoping in Him is the reason for my discipline. When I trust anyone or anything other than God I am rebelling against Him. So I need to repent and ask God to rescue me from my rebellion. One of the things I can hope for is that He will eventually remove the scourge. But this isn’t a quick “I’m sorry God” so I can get back to being happy. God’s discipline consumes me and in my desperation I can only cry to God for help. 

When I beg God to leave me alone, what I really want is for Him to stop the discipline by rescueing me from my rebellion. When I’ve responded in repentance and obedience I won’t need His discipline anymore. In that sense He’ll leave me alone and then I’ll be able to smile.

His discipline is painful and I don’t like it. But I have to get through it to reach the smile. He won’t leave me alone until I repent and submit. Ouch.

Study War No More

Micah 4:1-5 

Close your eyes, pretend it’s snowing, and think about Christmas for a minute. (Okay, I know you don’t need snow for that – after all, I live in South Carolina.) Anyway, now think about shepherds on the hillside, listening in awe to the angels singing about peace on earth. It’s a wonderful message, but we all know they didn’t mean that moment was the end of war.

To borrow a cliché, war is ugly. Recently Wayne and I visited Fort Sumter in Charleston. We saw the big metal guns and the thick walls. We toured the museum where we were walked through the battles for control of the fort during the Civil War. We heard statistics about injuries and deaths. But the most powerful lesson was the American flag which had flown over the fort. It was spread out for us to see with frayed edges and numerous bullet holes. The day before, we had visited a plantation and walked down the slave street where we heard a story teller describe the oppressive life of slavery. I had no doubt the Civil war was necessary. But that doesn’t diminish the horror of it.

On a more hopeful note, this scripture promises that in the end, God will bring peace.

He’ll mediate between nations. There will be no more war.

Weapons will be turned into farm tools. People will enjoy their own vineyards and fig trees without fear. They’ll live everyday lives without conflict and they’ll be happy.

The mountain where He dwells will be higher than all the others; the most important place on earth. People from everywhere will stream there to worship Him and learn His ways and they will walk in His paths.

In the meantime, we can follow Him with that hope, even though the nations around us follow idols.