LEAD ME TO THE ROCK

PSALM 61 – 7/8/21

1. Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer.

David, like a child, requests that his father not only hear him but also attend to him. He asks God, as it were, set his newspaper down and come down to the floor and engage with him.

2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For You have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

David’s physical domain was not very large, nor did he make distant travels that we know of. Yet emotionally his heart felt distant, disconnected, alienated, far from home. This mighty man of war who had taken on lions and bears and giants knew that a discouraged heart was a formidable foe that could send him crashing in despair.

As an international college student, I was struck that whenever Middle Eastern students arrived in the Pacific Northwest, they were discombobulated and asked, “There are trees everywhere. Where are the rocks?” With rich word pictures, David looks around his arid terrain and majestic landmarks and sees the Rock. He acknowledges God as his familiar place, his refuge, his stability, his very identity. He who occupied Israel’s highest seat of power was humbly cognizant that the was not in the greatest position – God was.

4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah

What a sweet vow! David promises to never leave God. He has nowhere he would rather be. He promises to stay in a temporary tent forever, because he who occupies the tent is forever. He who recently sought the “wings of a dove” (Ps 55:6) so as to escape danger has found the almighty wings and considers them even more suitable. If you find the wing of the dove, you will have to flee and flit from tree to tree. You will be terribly vulnerable to the predator even in flight. But if you abide in the shelter of his wings, you can hunker down and be. You can settle in and know that any enemy will have to penetrate and destroy your cover before he can get to you.

Study the table above and its various aspects. Ask Holy Spirit which area of the four categories you need to grow in and invite him to do that work in your life.