Jonathan's Perspective on The Rock

Are you feeling happy today?  Whether you answered yes or no, think about the top reasons in your mind as to why you feel that way.  Your first response to that consideration tells a lot about what you base your happiness on.

Every one of us, whether young or old, trust in something to make us happy.  For some it could be about money, relying on the assurance that they have a stable bank account to fall back on.  For others it could be their health, throwing themselves into exercise programs to get their bodies into a reliable condition that they can depend on. I'm sure many would say they place their trust in people who love them, having confidence that they will be there for them when times get tough.

However, every single one of those foundations are fragile, crumbling swiftly and without warning.  Your source of employment can vanish, or unexpected, sizable expenses can drain your bank account. An illness or injury can rob you of the energy and vitality that was once coursing through your body.  And we all know our loved ones aren't perfect.  They can annoy us, disappoint us, or even wrong us.  What can we do in such a transient world in which everything material that we tend to put our trust in vanishes so quickly?

The best place to turn when you realize that, is to the arms of God, who the Bible sometimes refers to as The Rock.  "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal" (Isaiah 26:4).  A rock is a strong, firm foundation upon which you can plant your foot confidently.  Even more than that, God, loving and eternal, will never change.  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).  That reassuring fact means that when we remember the love God and His Son Jesus Christ have shown us in the past, we can be sure that He will continue to love us.

I have received a deep and steadfast love from Him, especially when I trust in Him.  He has shown his grace and mercy to me, revealing his true nature.  "Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken" (Psalm 62:2).  As long as I don't fail to remember who I know Him to be, I can call out to him confidently whenever I am in need.  "From the ends of the earth I call to you; I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2).

When we are led to the Rock, we ought to build our lives on the eternal, immovable foundation we find there.  It is a secure, trustworthy place that can support us through the fiercest storms of life.

Recall the famous parable told by Jesus about building a house on a stable foundation.  “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24‭-‬27)‬.‬

Jesus Christ, God in human likeness, said this at the end of a series of teachings on what the behavior of true believers should look like.  At the end of the 7th chapter of Matthew, it says the crowd who heard this message was amazed at the authority and power of his preaching.  In the light of that, we should indeed put His words into practice, knowing we can trust in the truth of Jesus' words.

Furthermore, let us not only build our house on the Rock, but let's make sure we don't move our house back onto the shifting sands of what this world has to offer.  "Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life" (Jude 1:21).

To paraphrase Hebrews 6:11, let us remain diligent for however long God permits us to live on the Earth, in order for us to receive all the good things He has promised us in the life to come.

Jonathan's Perspective on the Answer to Anxiety

Many people deal with anxiety on a daily basis and I am certainly not immune to worries that can weigh me down.  Speaking from recent experience, holding onto my worries has led me to moments of despair.  Those are not fun places to be and should be avoided at all costs to protect the mental health of both yourself and those around you.  The only lasting solution is found in the conscious act of placing your worries on the shoulders of the God who made you.

A passage that has given me clear insight into this issue was 1 Peter 5:6-7.  "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."  I came across this passage in the Answering Anxiety devotional on the Youversion Bible app and I will be using some of the material from that study to "unpack", as my Pastor would say, the truths within.

God's mighty hand is His sovereign will over all of creation.  I am grateful His will is decidedly benevolent toward me as a follower of Christ.  That incredible blessing assures me that He will indeed "lift me up in due time."  When I hear that phrase, in view of my declining health, I instantly think of God's promise to take me to Heaven one day.  Oh, the joy I feel when I imagine that arrival.  I will be able to walk again, unencumbered by any impairment.  I will lift my hands in praise and shout for joy to my God and Savior, Jesus Christ!  Enjoying all the beauty of Heaven will be wonderful as well.

The latter verse contains an instruction that is relevant every day.  The following explanation was contained in the Answering Anxiety devotional on the Youversion Bible app.

"What does it mean to cast our cares upon God? The same word translated “casting” is used in Luke 19:35, when Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem, and the disciples had obtained a colt. They brought it to Jesus, and they threw their cloaks on it. This is a transfer, just like throwing a blanket onto something.

You gather up all the things that are troubling you right now – you bag them up, you throw them onto the Lord." (1)

This process is not easy and involves daily action on our part to purposefully surrender our cares and worries to God.  I say it isn't easy because of our all too human tendency to temporarily throw our burndens onto the Lord only to take them back again. We must battle against this temptation with steadfast effort and why wouldn't we?  When we choose to take our worries and place them back on our shoulders, we are basically saying, "God, I can handle these better than you can."  Really?  Can we honestly think our limited power and short-sighted view on the future gives us better ability to handle these things than our Sovereign God who holds the future in the palm of His Hand?  Once we humble ourselves by acknowledging the obvious answer to that question we gain fuel for a daily effort to let our God and Savior handle our worries.  You will find that your anxiety will dissipate quickly when those things aren't weighing heavily upon you.

Through it all, remember that God is good and is our loving and faithful Shepherd.  "Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:4, 6) 

God will surely lead us to the Promised Land where we won't have ANYTHING to worry about.  All we have to do is to choose not to give up, not to despair, and not to worry.  Let us cast all our anxieties on the Lord today!





(1) Taken from Day 5 of the Answering Anxiety devotional on the Youversion Bible app.  Originally appeared on the Straight Truth Podcast with Pastor Richard Caldwell and his guest Pastor Ken Ramey.