December 22nd
Fixed on the Rock
In my driving I have often times noticed a tree or a large shrub growing out of what was apparently a rocky area. I have one in my mind now. As I looked at it (and even have a color slide of it - taken back in the state of Missouri, USA) I say to myself. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN IT SURVIVE??
Perhaps you, too, have seen shrubs and even trees growing out of the rock. Sometimes they overhang great cliffs and even streams below. We say, "How can they grow out of such positions." Yet, they maintain their position - they grow foliage and branches just as if they were growing in a flat land with great soil. (It is like a funny - they don't know the difference!!)
But what makes such possible is their hold ON the rock. It makes them secure. Let me share Deut 32:4 with you.
"He is the Rock, His works are perfect and all His ways are just."David strikes the same strings when he writes, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge." You and I as believers are exposed daily to the most dramatic dangers. We are pilgrims headed/living toward heaven. But in the mean time we are exposure to heartaches, disappointments and adversities. In them we must GROW in the Rock.
If we can stay focused - or let's say "rooted" and "grounded" and "fixed" in the Rock of Ages then we (you) are going to be perfectly secure.
People with whom we come in contact and know our situation will say, "How do they manage to grow." Somehow they will know it is their (your) hold on the Rock. It is the source of assurance and it is the source of security.
May I pray for you?
Lord, even as I type these lines I know that there are multiplied scores of persons who need to reaffirm their hold on you. May the words, "But the Lord has BECOME my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge" be the capstone of their life. Even amid overwhelming odds may they take hold and produce the fruit of the spirit. In the name of Jesus.
Amen