Day Two – God Is Our Rock of Security

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2

“There are no absolutes!” Such might be a statement commonly heard in a university environment. The idea is that our knowledge is fluid, and dogmatism has no place in true learning. And while I recognize the fluidity of human knowledge, the claim that there are no absolutes is an absolute statement in itself. If you were to say, “There are no absolutes,” an appropriate reply would be, “Are you absolutely sure?”

In the spiritual arena, the quest to avoid dogma creates a world of religious pluralism. “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are true to your beliefs.” “All paths lead to God, so who are we to judge?” “We can’t really know what is true, so it’s best not to take religion too seriously.” All are statements that I have heard from well-meaning people. One of the problems with this line of thinking is that it has no roots in reality. Sure, all paths can lead to God if that deity is the product of our human imagination. But a real God, even though unseen, is a very real Person with very real characteristics—and commands.

Ideas that seem reasonable in a classroom setting do not always translate well into reality. In fact, they can often be detrimental. The “no absolutes” postmodern mantra of recent years has contributed to an ever-present sense of anxiety as we seek to navigate tumultuous times. If there are no absolutes, there is nothing that we can truly trust. And if we have nothing to trust, fear and anxiety will become our normal companions.

We Need Security

If peace is what we seek, we need a source beyond our natural world—a source with power beyond human ability and one greater than even the forces of nature. Perhaps that is why ancient generations created a myriad of idols. They wanted tangible gods in which they could rest the full weight of their trust. Even if those gods were fabricated, they at least had the appearance of solidity.

The writers of the Bible were not ignorant of these issues. And though the Creator of our cosmos is an unseen, spiritual Being, they recognized the substance of His reality. King David was especially attune to recognizing God as the only true source of stability. For years, David was hunted by the wicked King Saul and his many spies. The young man did not handle every situation with grace, but he did learn to look to the Lord when situations were dire and hope elusive.

God Is Our Rock of Security

Even in the midst of his struggles, David recognized an eternal absolute: God is good, and those who learn to align their hearts with His design can look to Him with complete confidence in times of need. When David was finally free from the nonstop threat of destruction, he lifted the following song to heaven:

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm 18:1-6

In the very depths of his heart, David understood the Lord to be his rock—his mighty fortress in times of trouble. Seemingly time after time, David found himself in perilous situations, and time after time, God came through. Against all odds, the former shepherd emerged as a victorious king.

Just as David experienced, there will be times in life when it appears as though our circumstances are out of control. A pill, a bottle, a game, a movie, an evening on social media—all can help us momentarily avoid the burdens and problems of life, but they provide no strength to weather those challenges or wisdom to overcome them.

The Eye of Faith

The eye of faith recognizes something greater. It does not deny our natural circumstances but sees through them to a God who is worthy of our trust. He is our rock, our mighty fortress that cannot be shaken. We might get wet from the surf, but we can always rest secure in His goodness. Rest begins with God because He is the one true rock of stability amid the crashing waves of this world.

“There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is no rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:2

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