He is our rock
and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:4 (NIV).
My daughter and I took a trip to the coast in order to rescue a dog from the shelter there. It was a long trip through hours of smoke from the fires here in Oregon, but before picking him up the next morning we took a walk on the beach. The large rocks were impressive, but it was the starfish that clung to them that got my attention. There they were, way out of the water, out of what I would call their natural environment. How long they had been clinging there I did not know. What lovely colours; shades of pink, orange, and purple. They looked perfectly well and healthy. They looked as if they trusted the water to return as they waited patiently.
I kept getting that thought to pay attention to the message here. They were in what I might consider a trial, but they clung quietly and patiently, and very tightly to the rock that seemed to be their security. They knew the water would return and give them life. What do we cling to? We all go through times of struggle; it is a part of life. Jesus is our Rock we are told, he called his first disciples from the shore (Matthew chapters 4 & 10). They were having a struggle to make a catch of fish, their livelihood. Jesus helped them in the struggle to feed their families, but it was their spiritual life that he needed to heal as well.
Our life here on Earth at times makes us feel as if we are out of the water, out of our environment. It is a struggle to just hang on and make ends meet. This verse in 1 Corinthians 10 speaks of the time the children of Israel were traveling through the desert toward the Promised Land. During those 40 years, they made many mistakes, they failed to trust God who was their rock of strength and their provider. Even though God parted the waters of the Red Sea to allow them to escape, they still lacked trust when things did not go the way they hoped they would. How about us? Do we cling to Jesus, our rock, tightly, with patience, waiting for the water of life to cover us and fill us once again? Do we trust he will return and give us life, give us healing, take us home?
I find it interesting that the Ten Commandments were etched in rock (Exodus 20), that God caused water to flow from a rock for the Israelites in the desert (Deuteronomy 8:15b), that a house built on a solid foundation will stand (Matthew 7), that God protected Moses in a cliff of rock when he passed by him (Exodus 33:21-22). God is the Rock, and he is Holy, there is none like him (Deuteronomy 32:4; 1 Samuel 2:2). We can cling to him in faith, trust he will do us no harm, and trust him to provide our needs. He is the water of life, the giver of eternal life. He is our Rock!
2 Timothy 2:19 (NIV) says, ‘Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with the inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his…”
May you have a very blessed week clinging to that Rock!
Prayer
Thank you, merciful Father, for giving us life, for giving us your Son, for the Spirit you sent to live in us. We put our faith and trust in you! Amen.
Study by Anne Gillam
Anne Gillam is a retired Pastor in Grace Communion International, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA.
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