He's Our Rock

The things that have happened since last Sunday in the state of Hawaii, especially in the town of Lahaina, have been overwhelming to say the least. We lived on the island of Maui for 8 years and while there I received Jesus as my personal savior. Maui is a special place for us. Koa and Daniel were born on Maui and while there, I worked for the Hyatt Regency Maui in Kaanapali and played music there spending a lot of time in Lahaina. To see all of the destruction there and the lost of life is tough! But God is always our strength when we go through these times in life. So today we are going to see how God takes us through!

Psalm 61:1–4 (AMP)

1 HEAR MY cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

2 From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me].

3 For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary.

4 I will dwell in Your tabernacle forever; let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Overwhelmed Hearts Need the Rock!

No the psalmist is not talking about the Rock, Duane Johnson, he’s talking about the Rock that is higher than anything we go through, Jesus. Our Rock shelters us and is a strong tower against the enemy. We can trust in Him to keep us when things are so bad our heart cannot function. He is the Rock of our Salvation.

Matthew 16:13–20 NIV

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

The Church is Built on THE ROCK!

The church is not built on Peter, it is built on the revelation that Peter had of who Jesus was. Peter said that Jesus was the Messiah the Son of the living God. Jesus told him that you are now Peter, petros in the Greek, which means stone or pebble. Then He says upon this Rock, petra which means cliff or rock like the Rock of Gibraltar, the revelation that He is the Christ, He would build the church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Our salvation comes from the Lord not from the organized church. If we read further, He starts revealing to them how He would suffer and Peter says he would not let that happen and Jesus tells him to get behind me satan. He had only human concerns. The church cannot be built on human concerns. It has to be built on the Rock.

Psalm 46:1–7 LBP

1 God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble. 2 And so we need not fear even if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains tremble! 4 There is a river of joy flowing through the city of our God—the sacred home of the God above all gods. 5 God himself is living in that city; therefore it stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay his help. 6 The nations rant and rave in anger—but when God speaks, the earth melts in submission and kingdoms totter into ruin. 7 The Commander of the armies of heaven is here among us. He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us.

He, the Rock, is Here!

Let’s never forget that God is with us, Jesus is with us, the Holy Spirit is with us. We serve a God who has been tested time and time again in troubles and has caused victory every time no matter how bad the storms of life are. God is here!