Who Is The Rock, Except Our God?

As for God, his way is perfect: The LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.

Psalm 18:30-36

The story is told of a young preacher named Augustus Toplady, who was walking through the English countryside when a sudden storm swept across the landscape. Toplady spotted a wide rock formation with an opening, a cleft, where he might seek shelter until the storm passed. As he sat out the deluge, he contemplated the connection between his shelter and God’s help in life’s storms.

He had no paper to write on but found a playing card on the floor. He began to write the words to what we now know as “Rock Of Ages.” “Rock of ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure.”

Think of your own struggles. Do you need a place to hide? Do you need Someone to shelter you from life’s assaults? Do you need the assurance that you’ve been forgiven. As Toplady experienced, we can find shelter and assurance in God.

Don’t stand out in life’s storms alone. Seek God’s shelter. Ask Him to protect you. Make sure you have received His forgiveness. Get close to the Rock of Ages. It’s life’s safest spot.

When the world around you is crumbling,

God is the rock on which you can stand.

Our Daily Bread – January 27, 2012