Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’” Isaiah 44: 8.
O Lord our God, our Rock and our Deliverer, we take refuge in You! Allow us to be willing to stand on this sure foundation, so that we may never be moved. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen and Amen!
I conducted a two day retreat which began Friday evening and concluded yesterday in the afternoon. It was an amazing experience from beginning to end! The title of today’s devotional is based on the theme song of the retreat, Blessed Be the Rock.
It is interesting to note how rocks have played a very important part in the history of Israel almost from their coming to birth as the people of God.
Before Moses, the man chosen by God to lead His people out of Egypt, would officially accept God’s call to lead them into the promised land, he made a special request of God, ” ‘ “Please, show me Your glory” ‘ ” (18)
Moses was making quite a big request of the Almighty. In order to grant Moses’ request, God did three things:
1. He let His goodness pass before Moses. God’s goodness and his justice are a part of His glory. “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (19). “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3: 22, 23).
2. He proclaimed His name before him. Moses had once before heard God proclaim His name at the burning bush. At that time, at Moses’ request, He had proclaimed Himself as the great “I AM THAT I AM.” As the One who could say “I am that I am” and “I will be whatever I will be” He had proven faithful to His proclamation, in the land of Egypt.
3. He put him in the cleft of the rock.
In order to answer his request in full, God puts Moses in the cleft of a rock, and covers him with His hand. A rock was a safe place from which Moses could contemplate God’s physical glory. At first Moses had stood on the rock and listened to the proclamation of the glory of God’s goodness and the glory of His name. Now he must be covered, and there could be no better symbol of Gods protective care than that of a rock.
During their wilderness journey He would provide them water from a rock, not once but twice! He was “”that spiritual rock that followed them” (1 Cor. 10:4)and protected them. And today, as His “witnesses” He assures us that we need not fear or be afraid, for He is the only Rock. There is no other!
He is my Rock! Is He yours?
More tomorrow!