Rock Solid

"There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one
besides you;
there is no Rock like our God."
1 Samuel 2:2

A couple of years ago I traveled to Israel for the first time. I was amazed by the beauty of the land and the pride of the people. What amazed me even more was the constant presence of rock! When I signed up for the 10-day tour through the Holy Land, I had no idea that I would be hiking up rock, crawling through rock caves, digging through rock, observing rock structures, and arriving back to my hotel at the end of each day covered with sediments of rock. As the trip came to a close, I had a whole new appreciation for rock and a whole new understanding of the phrase "the LORD is my Rock."

Rock is everywhere in Israel. It surrounds, hovers, and upholds cities over there. Rock is used to build with, to build on, and to build out of. It is visible and plentiful. Certain rock in Israel is fought over because it is sacred. Rock is a resource familiar to all, available to all, and needed by all.

Likewise, the LORD is everywhere: "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good" (Proverbs 15:3). He surrounds, hovers, and upholds us: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2). The LORD, knowing the purpose and lasting power of what He builds, desires for us to use Him in our building process if not be our Builder: "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain..." (Psalm 127:1); "For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything" (Hebrews 3:4). He is visible if you have divine eyes to see, and He is plentiful in His love, His grace, His mercy, and His forgiveness. The LORD our Rock is most certainly sacred, and He is familiar, available, and needed by all: "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them" (Isaiah 41:17).

There's no question about it; rock is certainty. After my first day's experience with the rock in Israel, I knew I could count on one thing: I would encounter it again and evidence of it would be on me. So it is with Christ. "Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal" (Isaiah 26:4).