Standing on the Rock

Standing On The Rock

Texts: Psalm 40:1-10; John 4:31-42

Introduction

We often pray for God to get us out of the "muck" of our problems, don’t we. We feel the instability of life, whether it is a health crisis, financial fear, or the exhaustion of the mundane suburbs, and we cry out for holy, solid ground. Psalm 40 and John 4 show us that God sets our feet on the Rock not just for our safety, but so we can finally stand tall enough to see the harvest waiting all around us.

The Psalm of King declares, "He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock".

Jesus tells his disciples in John 4, "Look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting".

Today, we will see how these two concepts connect. We are rescued so that we can be sent. We are given a firm place to stand so that we can sow and become ready for the harvest.

I. From the Mud to the Mission

In Psalm 40, David describes a "desolate pit" and a "miry bog". John Wesley describes this pit as a place of "desperate dangers and calamities". Much like “The Slough of Despond” in the Pilgrim’s Progress. It is a place of chaos, where footing is lost and sinking is inevitable.

When we are stuck in the mud—whether it is the mud of addiction, grief, or simply overwhelmed by distractions of daily life—our perspective is downward. We look down at our feet encased deep in the mud. We are consumed by our own struggle to survive, to be free. Worst of all, we cannot save ourselves from this sinking mud.

God does not leave us stuck, God intervenes.

The King describes how God, "inclined to me and heard my cry". God establishes our steps. He provides what commentators describe as "victory and stability" beyond the bog.

However, God does not pull us out merely so we can stand still and be comfortable.

In John 4, the disciples are worried about physical food, but Jesus is looking at a spiritual harvest. He tells them, "Lift up your eyes". Jesus is saying that the waiting time is over; the "fields are white already".

This is the spiritual shift we must make. You can't see the harvest if you are still staring at your feet in the mud. God grants us stability on the Rock to give us the height and perspective needed to see the spiritual needs of others. He rescues us from the "slimy pit" of our own struggles so that we can look outward at the fields that are ready for harvest.

II. The New Song at the Well

When God rescues us, the result is not silence; it is a song. This brings us to our second point: "The New Song at the Well".

Psalm 40:3 declares, "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God." The result of this song is public influence: "Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord". The rescue is personal, but the testimony is public. As the commentators note, the King’s private deliverance becomes a public declaration for the "great congregation".

We see this perfectly illustrated in the Samaritan woman in John 4. She came to the well carrying a water jar and the heavy burden of her past—her own "miry bog" of broken relationships and social shame. But after encountering Jesus, the text says she "left her water jar and went back to the city". She received a "new song."

Her testimony was simple: "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!". Because of her testimony, many of her neighbors “from that city believed in him". Just as the Psalmist predicted, many saw and put their trust in the Lord.

Ephraem the Syrian, an early church commentator, beautifully describes her "new song" as a progression of faith. He writes that at the beginning of the conversation, she saw a thirsty man, then a Jew, then a Rabbi, then a prophet, and finally the Messiah.

She was swept off her feet by the truth.

Standing on the Rock isn't a private religious experience; it’s a platform for proclamation. This woman became a witness alongside John the Baptist, and because of her voice, her entire community came out to meet the Savior.

III. Solid Foundation, Solid Food

Finally, we must ask: What keeps us standing on this Rock when the storms return? A "Solid Foundation, Solid Food".

In John 4, the disciples urge Jesus to eat, but He replies, "I have food to eat that you do not know about". They were confused, thinking someone brought him food. But Jesus clarifies: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work".

John Wesley notes that this "meat" is that which "satisfies the strongest appetite of the soul". Jesus defines the work of the Father as His very sustenance.

This mirrors King and Psalmist in Psalm 40:8: "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart". This "opened ear" or "dug" ear signifies a deep, obedient listening that goes beyond mere external sacrifice. It is what some call "inner requirement" of the heart. An open ear conveys an open heart.

For the believer, doing God’s will is the "Rock" beneath our feet and the "Food" in our stomachs.

Providing both the strength to stand and the energy to serve. When we feel weak or hungry in spirit, we often look for comfort in worldly things—what the Psalmist calls "lying vanities". But true stability comes from delighting in God's will.

The disciples missed Jesus’ motivation, and the woman almost missed His gift. We must not miss this truth:

Our stability comes from the "delight" of God’s word alive within us.

Conclusion

Out of the Mud; Onto the Rock

In a profound turn, the people of Sychar eventually told the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world". They turned from simply hearing the song to standing on the Rock themselves.

The title they give Jesus, the "Savior of the World," was a claim often made by Roman Emperors. But these Samaritans, "a little people" on the margins, realized the true King had arrived, the eternal King who would fulfill the words of King David’s prophetic Psalm.

Your Eternal King and Savior has come to pull you out of the mud. He desires to set your feet on the Rock. But He does so with a purpose. He rescues you so He can send you.

So, if you are standing on the Rock today, do not just look down at your feet in relief. Lift up your eyes. The fields are white. The harvest is here. Let us find our food in doing His will and sing the new song that brings the world to the Savior.

Amen.