Lead Me to the Rock

Read: Psalm 61:1-4

Psalm 61:1–4 KJV 1900

1 Hear my cry, O God; Attend unto my prayer. 2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, And a strong tower from the enemy. 4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

Introduction:

Our Psalm tonight comes from a prayer and praise of David. While the history and story of this Psalm has long since been lost, we do see some very important and valuable lessons.

David begins by asking God for a hearing. This isn’t wrong to pray, it speaks of humility and dependence upon God.

Then he explains his reasons for praying - he is overwhelmed - he is in desperate straits.

He prays a simple prayer - “Lead me to that rock that is higher than I...”

David had a lot of rocks in his life.

As a young man I’m sure he flung many many rocks with his slingshot when he got bored watching his father’s sheep.

Many a tree had nicks in its bark from his wild throws. Every spare piece of pottery was broken to shards as he perfected his aim.

Probably all of his brothers had a scar from where he had missed a time or two.

But remember what David did when he was preparing to fight Goliath?

1 Samuel 17:40 KJV 1900

40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

David used rocks as weapons.

- They were in his hands though small in size powerful in might. They were lethal. Just one brought down a mighty giant Goliath and won a battle.

LESSON: Sometimes there are “battles of the Lord” to be fought by throwing stones.

David used rocks as protection:

After David won notoriety King Saul became enraged with envy and jealousy. He started a kingdom wide campaign to do away with David. And on more than one occasion David hid behind those huge mountain boulders and rocks to save his life.

LESSON: Sometimes we have to hide behind a rock of defence.

David Needs a Rock as a means of Desperation

Those five smooth rocks David found lying down by the babbling brook, he simple picked up and carried them in his bag until he needed them.

The rocks on the mountain side he couldn’t move but he could scale and climb over or around and hide behind them.

But this situation those rocks weren’t going to cut it. This was a desperate situation - it didn’t matter how much he twilled his little slingshot that little rock wasn’t going to do it.

Those rocks on the mountain weren’t big enough to hide him from what he was facing.

No it had to be something bigger, something greater, something beyond his control.

This rock is going to have to come from somewhere else.

Listen to where David is going to find a rock great enough to help him with his desperate situation.

David prays that God would lead him to the rock -

This was a rock that he couldn’t get to - he had to have God take him there.

Then notice he completely changes the metaphor. The rock ceases to be an object and now becomes a Person

Notice this: Lead me to THE ROCK!!!

which he immediately follows up with the words, ‘FOR THOU’

He is identifying God as the ROCK.

1776 was the year the United States of America was born.

It was also the year one of the favorite hymns of all time was born, and that was Rock Of Ages.

The author was an Englishman named Augustus Montague Toplady. He wrote 133 poems and hymns, but they were all forgotten.

This one, however, lives on, for it gives an image of Jesus that people need. We need to know that all else can crumble and collapse, but Jesus is that Rock of Ages,

Toplady died at the early age of 38, but he was secure in Jesus, and his hymn has been a favorite at funerals ever since, for it reminds us that though life is insecure, Jesus is not. He is the Rock of Ages.

Toplady's last words were, ''My prayers are all converted into praises.'' He felt secure because he had built his life on the solid rock. His hymn has been translated into almost every known language. It is really rather shocking how often God and Jesus are called ''the Rock'' in the Bible. It is one of the major names of God.*

There are so many references to God as the Rock that we cannot cover them all, but these phrases will give you a clear impression. Psalms 28:1, ''To you I call, O Lord my Rock.'' Psalm 42:9, ''I say to God my Rock.'' Psalm 78:35, ''They remembered that God was their Rock.'' Psalm 92:15, ''The Lord is upright, He is my Rock.''

He identifies this ROCK as a shelter - or cleft - Remember Moses was hid in the “Cleft” of the rock - that wasn’t so Moses would be out of the way, that was to protect Moses.

Not just a shelter - but a strong tower - in olden days cities and villages would construct the strongest tallest towers they could afford as protection from disasters and invading armies.

When the Devil comes at us - we have a strong tower from the enemy -

David says, not just a shelter, not just a strong tower, but that it is around the Tabernacle - for this is where he will abide forever -

Now the KJV has Psalm 61:4 worded as a promise or intention - most other versions translate it as a prayer which seems to fit the context a little better - Let me abide in they tabernacle for ever - I want to be where God is -

But then he goes on and says “I will” or “let me” trust in the covert [or shelter] of thy wings.”

This threw me - what wings -

When we hear ''wings'' we probably think of a bird. Or maybe we think of an order of our favorite Buffalo wings.

But David wasn't thinking about a bird, or a chicken.

He was thinking of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant was covered by the mercy seat. David knew that the wings of the cherubim were outspread to cover the mercy seat and the ark. *David thought of the security a person would enjoy who could creep as a house guest into God's pavilion, stay there forever, and know the overshadowing protection not merely of the wings of an anointed cherub, but of the eternal, uncreated, self-existing God Himself

David ends this portion of the prayer with SELAH - Meditate on this

Let this sink in - I think it would be good for us to pray this as well -

Lead us to the Rock that is higher than I - On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand all other Ground is Sinking Sand.