No Other Rock

And a man shall be . . . as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. ~ Isaiah 32:2

The Lord is my rock. ~ Psalm 18:2

Note: This is a combined devotion for September 1 and 2.

Seeing the titles and verses selected for these devotions, I was really excited to go do them both since they lay much of the foundation for this blog (not sure if the pun was intended for those of you who picked up on it).

Over the course of these two devotions, Baxter points to six different aspects the Scriptures reveal our Lord Jesus as the “Rock”. He is:

• The rock of shelter for the weary.
• The rock of refuge from the storm [see Song of Solomon 2:14].
• The rock of Horeb; giving water to the thirsty [see Exodus 17:1-7].
• The rock of foundation to the Church [see Matthew 16:18].
• The rock of offense to unbelievers [See Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22 with Romans 9:33, I Corinthians 1:23, and I Peter 2:6-8].
• The rock of ages [See Isaiah 26:4 that says, “Trust ye in the Lord for ever; for the Lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.” The Hebrew phrase translated “everlasting strength” is “THE ROCK OF AGES.”

After reviewing all this, I was ready to really dig deep and study the heck out of these two devotions. Yet, for some reason, I kept thinking of Simon and Garfunkel. Yes, Simon and Garfunkel. Specifically, I am thinking of the lyrics to their song, “I Am a Rock”.

A winter’s day; In a deep and dark December; I am alone; Gazing from my window to the streets below; On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow. I am a rock; I am an island.

I’ve built walls; A fortress deep and mighty; that none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain. I am a rock; I am an island.

Don’t talk of love; But I’ve heard the words before; It’s sleeping in my memory; I won’t disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved I never would have cried; I am a rock; I am an island.

I have my books; And my poetry to protect me; I am shielded in my armor; Hiding in my room, safe within my womb. I touch no one and no one touches me; I am a rock; I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain; And an island never cries.

When I was much younger, my parents went through a divorce and on top of that, my mother was forced to deal with so many personal issues that no person should ever have to endure. I won’t go into detail, but you will have to trust me on this.

During that stage of our lives, I heard that song many times a day for several weeks, maybe months. She would sit alone at our dining table each night, miserable and literally suffering. This song became her anthem.

While my mother dealt with her situation the only way she could figure, I now can reflect and – especially in light of these devotions – realize she was doing exactly as the song suggested. She had built walls around her and become that fortress in which none could enter. She pushed away friends and loved ones. Though she never was able to leave the past behind, she took delight in misery because the feelings and emotions from those days had long since passed. She sought to become that rock; because (as the song tells it) a rock feels no pain.

But we are not rocks. We’re people.

The Lord is our Rock. There is no other rock. Let Him be our shelter, our refuge, our foundation. Let him quench our thirst. Let Him bear our pain.

And we’re not islands. We’re people . . . and we cry.

Our world has shown the fallible nature of being merely human. Let us rejoice that we have HIM to be our rock as we witness the crumbling of thrones, kingdoms, old establishments and other worldly institutions. JESUS is THE ROCK.

Today, I pray that you and I, through genuine trusting of Him, we will be granted real peace.