by Wendy Wood
Psalm 18:2 “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.”
Deuteronomy 32:4 “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”
Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
The word “rock” in scripture refers to a cliff, a boulder, or a huge rock. This is not a pebble or a small stone you would throw and skip on a lake. A rock is a solid, large, immovable object. God refers to himself as a rock because large rocks don’t move. “A rock is battered by a storm and it does not bend. The waves beat against it but it does not fall. Our weight presses down on it but it does not sink. That is our God: always perfect; always just; always faithful; righteous and upright; never unjust. So you can trust him and cling to him today, tomorrow and every day.”
“The Lord is my rock” means that when life seems uncertain, or when people betray you, or when everything around you is changing, God is sure, faithful and unchanging. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” The Lord is dependable. The Lord is the one constant in life you can always count on. He is faithful and will never let you down. He is unchanging so his ways and purpose remain the same in bringing honor to himself and working all things for the good of believers. When your circumstances seem bad to you, you have a rock to depend on.
This is what Joseph did when he spend over 20 years struggling in Egypt after being sold into slavery. Joseph’s brothers threw him in a pit, sold him to slave traders, covered his coat with blood and told their father he had been killed. Joseph was falsely accused of sexual assault and thrown in jail. Joseph was forgotten about in jail and left there an extra two years. Through all of this, God, the Rock, had a plan and was working all things for his purpose. God had never left Joseph. God had never diverted from his plan. No one had thwarted God’s plan. Everything was working out exactly as God ordained.
In the midst of difficulty, suffering, false accusations, and fear of the unknown, there is a Rock you can lean on. God the rock is unchanging, unwavering, solid, immovable, and constant. You can go to the rock for comfort and to find sure footing. When everything in life is shifting in your circumstances, lean on the Rock.
Another aspect of “God is my rock” is the title “cornerstone”.
Matthew 21:42-44 says,
“Jesus says to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes?”
There I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him”.
Jesus is the cornerstone. A cornerstone is a huge rock that unites two masonry walls. It is a stone representing the starting place. It is essential to a large building.
Jesus is the rock of faith. He is the rock of the church. All believers must have Christ as the starting place. His gospel remains essential to faith and a relationship with God forever. Rejecting Jesus as the cornerstone means that you will be crushed by the weight of your own sin. Jesus is the only way to God.
Do you take time to think about the cornerstone of your faith? Do you daily think about what Christ has done for you and that it is his completed work on the cross that gives stability and surety of your relationship with God?
God is my rock means that God is like no one else! Deuteronomy 32:31 says, “For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.” There is nothing that can replace God. There is no one who loves like God loves. There is no one who gives grace like God gives grace. There is no one who rules justly like God rules justly. There is none like Him! Sometimes we try to substitute other gods in place of God. We might believe that reputation, being loved by our spouse, achievements at work or school, having nice stuff, will provide the hope and peace that we so desperately want. But, God is clear that nothing and no one can replace him. As creatures made by God, we were made to need him and depend on him. Nothing else can fill the God-shaped hole in our souls. 1 Samuel 2:2-3 says “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” No one is like God.
Questions to consider:
What are you looking to to be your rock? Are you trying to depend on your spouse or your kids, or your job, or something else to give you stability and hope?
Only God is the rock that is dependable, unchanging, and who can withstand the weight of your hopes.