Isaiah 44:8
“Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”
The Hebrew word used for God in the second part of this verse is “tzur” or “tsuwr” and means “rock”.
In fact, most Biblical translations even use the word “Rock” in place of God here, leaving it to read:
“There is no other Rock.”
I love the simple visual a rock produces in our minds. It is solid, strong, and firm. Large and unshifting.
It is something we can stand on, hide in, and build upon.
These words become spiritual treasure when we correlate them to our Christian life.
This is our Jesus. He is our Rock.
He is our foundation, our fortress, and our future.
Psalm 61:2 says:
“…when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock (Hebrew – tsuwr) that is higher than I.”
Life is so unsure. Circumstances are always changing. Joys and sorrows interweave like tapestry through the course of our days. People walk in and out of our lives. It’s a constant shifting. But there is one place, one person, that is always sure, constant, dependable, and safe – Jesus Christ, our Rock of Ages.
When is your heart overwhelmed, Sister? Perhaps it is overwhelmed right now, this very moment. Perhaps worry and fear have you shackled in chains. Maybe you are struggling with relationships, finances, health, or devastating loss. Maybe that is you there, in the middle of that crowd, feeling completely alone. Or perhaps, you are drowning in the monotony of daily routine, diapering babies or punching a time clock, struggling to find purpose in the seemingly mundane.
Whatever the season, whatever the cause, know this: God is waiting. Like a shelter in a storm, He is there for you, to be your comfort, to be your strength. Run to Him, your Rock.
August 20th, 2010 is a date that will forever be etched in my heart and mind. I found myself in a place I never thought I’d be, standing helplessly at the foot of an isolette in a Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, the small frame of my two-day old, first born child tucked within. There was a flurry of people all around me. Medical orders were being shouted. One thing was happening right after another. But, for me, time stood still. My daughter was coding. Her heart no longer beat. Excruciating loss was staring me square in the face and I was completely and utterly overwhelmed. Everything was crumbling down around me…and in me. My heart was shattering. In the middle of that room, in the middle of all the frenzy, I desperately called out to Jesus. I cried out for Him to save my baby, but inwardly to save myself as well, from the crushing despair that was swallowing me whole. I was too weak to bear what was before me. With shifting sand all around, emotions running wild within, I needed a firm place for my spirit to stand on. I was fast slipping under the crushing weight of the storm. But…JESUS. He heard my anguished cries. And though it was hard to recognize in the moment (that’s where trust comes in), I can look back now and see with piercing clarity how He carried me through the most difficult experiences of my life, holding me close to Himself, whispering His eternal Truths to the deepest recesses of my aching heart. His great Grace hoisted me up onto that solid Rock when life fell apart.
The Lord worked a miracle that day and, praise God, my daughter survived that terrifying event. In the days and weeks that followed and as her difficult medical journey continued (one that still continues to this day), I had and still have the minute-by-minute choice to either lock eyes with Jesus, hiding myself in the cleft of the Rock, where His loving promises reside…or to give my focus to the storm instead, leaving me exposed and vulnerable to its violence. The storm still rages regardless. It still hurts regardless. But, the difference is, in the cleft, there is a deep, unshakeable peace that I am safe in Him, my Rock, despite it all…no matter what happens. A peace outside of this world, rooted in eternity, poured out on a cross. A peace beyond the pain. In the cleft, I am unmovable, because He is my strength. Outside of it, the storm rules and my emotions with it…I am on sinking sand.
So, the journey continues. Yours does too. It’s not easy, but, Sisters, let us cling to our Rock with everything that is in us. He is where our soul’s safety lies. He is unshifting, constant and true. And dependable – ALWAYS. When life falls down around you, the Rock still stands. And if you are on that Rock, you will stand too. In a world of shifting sand and raging storms, He is unmovable and therefore Sister, take heart, for so are you.
Matthew 7:25
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a Rock.”
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Autumn Stoller is a wife and a mother of four young children, treading through her early thirties. It can be a messy journey at times, but is certainly one full of adventure, learning, and love. She is a follower of Jesus, saved by His amazing grace. Living for HIM is her greatest calling. She also enjoys writing, reading, and all things outdoors.
