Psalm 18:2: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; / My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; / My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

January 24th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

When we read the word my in this psalm, it jumps off the page at us. This is a very personal psalm as David declares how he feels about his relationship with God Almighty. He uses both offensive and defensive military metaphors to describe who God is to him. Obviously he was saying that the Lord was all he needed to survive life’s demanding battles. David described the Lord as his rock, and the concept had much meaning to him. As a shepherd, he knew that often the only place to find relief from the sun in a hot, arid desert was by the shade of a rock. As a man of war, rock represented a stronghold, a place of safety. And as an Israelite, he had been taught since childhood that during the Exodus, the rock represented a place of refreshment. In the apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he said that the Rock that took care of Israel of old was Jesus: “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).

We all need a secure rock in our lives. For some people, their rock is a person, like a mother or father. For others, it’s not a person but a place. The neighborhood where they grew up or a special place in the mountains, desert, or beach, where they go when they feel lost and alone, or when life gets to be too much. Familiar people and places can make us feel secure, but neighborhoods change and people come and go. We need something or someone more reliable, unchangeable, and powerful. David knew who to make his rock. He had come to trust that in the darkest hour, God was the only reliable place for comfort, refuge, and strength.

We could learn a lot from the rock hyrax. This small, badger-like animal found in Israel makes its home in large, ragged, tumbled rocks. It knows to run to those rocks when danger comes. If a predatory bird, like an eagle, swoops down and tries to capture the little animal, it simply runs into one of the openings of the rock. The bird would have to tear the mountain apart to get it. The same is true of four-footed animals that would prey on it. As long as the hyrax hides in the rocks, it is safe. If it wanders away into the grassland, it is an easy target. The hyrax is wise enough to know that its strength is not in its own muscles but in taking shelter in the safety of the rock.

“LORD, You are the Rock we look to today.”