Psalms 18:1-2 – NLT – I love you, Lord; you are my strength.2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection; He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety
Throughout Scripture, we see where God is referred to as a “Rock”; Psalms 31:3, Isaiah 26:4, Psalms 62:2 and Deuteronomy 32:18 are just a handful of Scriptures that describe God as our rock.
In the New Testament, When God Himself came down in the form of the man Jesus Christ, He was also described as our Rock.
Acts 4:11 – NLT – For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
1 Corinthians 10:4 – NIV – They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
Scripture describes the Lord as our Rock, Fortress and Strength. But what exactly does it mean when it describes Him as our Rock?
First, you may want to understand what a “metaphor” is. A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison to two things that are completely unrelated. For example, let’s say “My friend Billy acts like a clown”. Does that mean that Billy is an actual circus clown? No. It is a reference to some of Billy’s funny behavior, but he is not a real circus clown. Or you may say something like “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse”. Does that mean you are going to go up to a living horse and take a bite out of it? No. (Note: you might get “kicked” very hard if you do so!). It simply describes the current state of your appetite, that you are extremely hungry.
Throughout Scripture, metaphors are often used to describe various character traits that God possesses. He is described as a Rock and a Fortress, but does that mean that God is an actual rock or a building like we see out in our yards and along our streets and highways? Of course not! It’s a metaphor.
When you think of a rock, what comes to mind? Well, for one, rocks are solid and unmovable. Strong rocks can survive adversity, bad weather, and can capture a hardness that can survive just about anything and anywhere and still be steady and immoveable. So when God is described as a Rock, it speaks of His dependability, stability and steadfastness. It speaks of a God who is immovable in His faithfulness and His love for mankind. It speaks of His unwavering character in His trustworthiness. He is a Person that we, weak human beings that we are, can run to when we are feeling overwhelmed and burdened by the trials that life throws at us, and to know that no matter what the situation is, we can always put our trust in Him. Scripture says this:
Psalms 61:1-2 – NKJV – Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You; when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
It is good to know that when life hits us hard, we can reach out to the Lord for strength, comfort and encouragement, and yes, sometimes a “mild” yet firm, loving rebuke if needed. Remember, God’s love is not only encouragement and comfort, but at times, a loving correction is needed as well (read Hebrews 12:6, Proverbs 3:11-12, Revelations 3:19). Remember, when you need stability and strength, when you need a friend who will always always be there for you, when your heart is troubled, you can always run to the Lord our unmovable, unshakeable “Rock”!
Proverbs 18:10 – NKJV – The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
God Bless!
