The Huge, Sturdy Rock

“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.  From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.  I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings” (Psalm 61:1-4 NIV).

For a person swept away by the current of raging river, a large rock sticking out above the water can be a lifesaving refuge.  Sometimes life feels like a raging river and we are caught in its fury.  In desperation, we grab for anything we think might save us.  But like the person in the river will find, not everything we grab hold of is strong enough, solid enough, or high enough to provide us refuge.  

In the river we call life, there are many calm places where things seem just about perfect.  There are others that are a bit rough, but manageable.  Then there are the places that seem impossible to pass. They are scary and if we had a choice, we would avoid them. We would head back upstream to calmer waters. But the current carries us into them and it becomes a quest of survival.   

In the midst of the roaring, churning waters, there is a huge, sturdy Rock sticking up out of the water.  And the current carries us right past it.  All we have to do is grab hold of it. Once we do, it is an easy climb to dry ground. 

It sounds easy, but it is not.  Many people drown in rivers because they panic.  They are so scared they miss the opportunity to be saved.   In life we can be so overwhelmed by our circumstances, so panicked, that we miss the help God can provide.  We fail to grab hold of the Rock that is higher than us.

Today know that whatever circumstances you encounter in life, God is there like a huge rock in the midst of the churning waters.  Don’t panic. Grab hold of Him and you will be safe.

© Jim Musser 2017