Lord, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Hello friends and welcome to another post.
This week, I feel led to build upon the post from last week.
To give a quick recap, the post was about hardships and blessings in marriage/life.
However, this week, I’d like to talk to you about The Rock. But firstly, let’s examine the problem of pain.
To tell you the truth, I’m not an expert in this area; but from what I understand, the problem of pain begins right at birth.
You see when a baby enters the world, most of the time they cry. Sometimes the cry is from physical stimulus (like the doctor or nurse inflicting pain to hear him/her cry) or the cry is from the baby realizing that he/she is no longer in their mother’s womb.
Of all the things humans learn, I believe it’s safe to say crying isn’t one of them. It’s almost as if, we’re wired from birth to know that tears will be part of life.
Now for most of us, we spend a lot of time trying to avoid pain/tears. And while this is necessary most of the time, at some point, no matter how hard you try escaping it, you will experience pain. That is just a matter of fact.
This leads me to my main point about pain and it is the idea that pain is necessary.
Before you fall out with me or think I’m some sadistic person, let me explain.
In our body for instance, pain informs us when something is wrong. Pain in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen often times alerts a medical professional to the possibility of appendicitis. Now, if a person has appendicitis but has no symptoms including pain, they will probably never think something is wrong, let alone seek medical attention. But an individual that starts to experience symptoms including pain and seeks medical attention is able to get the help he/she needs.
The same is true for the believer. I’m not sure what it is about painful circumstances, but it sure feels like they always seem to draw our attention back to Christ.
There’s something about loss and pain that empties you of pride and selfishness and brings you to the realization that you or I cannot control anything and that we need a Savior who can help us.
Psalm 61:2 states: “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, When my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” [KJV]
The psalmist David is crying out to God from a land where he was “driven by the tyranny of his enemies.” [Matthew Poole’s Commentary]
His prayer is that the Lord will lead him to a place “of safety where his enemies cannot touch him.” [Benson Commentary]
To be transparent with you, I’ve spent the last few weeks in counseling, just trying to make sense of a lot of the losses and pain of in my life and in the world right now. And the main thing that keeps coming back to me is that pain will always be a part of our journey on this side of heaven; but we have a rock, a safe place-Jesus. He is the one that keeps us going even in the midst of our pain and hardships.
Conclusion
David’s words are “lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
Friend, my encouragement this week is this; Christ is the rock that is bigger, higher, stronger, greater than any of the pain and suffering life will throw at us. He’s also the rock that can keep us safe and strong in the midst of pain and adversity; so I encourage you to lean on Him and trust Him with all your heart.
Prayer Request
Please pray for peace and safety in Sierra Leone.
Resources
The Bible
Benson Commentary
Matthew Poole’s Commentary
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