Trusting in the Rock

In May 2003, a heavy fog covered the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When the dense haze lifted, residents were shocked to see that The Old Man of the Mountain had disappeared. The 40-foot-tall natural outcropping of granite ledges had looked like the profile of an old man. This natural wonder inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous story, "The Great Stone Face," over 200 years ago. Its image graced New Hampshire license plates, quarters and tourist souvenirs. As the official state emblem, The Old Man of the Mountain had endured for centuries. But then the 700-ton face fell. New Hampshire's governor said : "This rugged yet beautiful monument fir the character of the pioneers who founded this state, the immigrants who built it, and the spirit of those who live here today. It was the ultimate symbol of those who would 'Live Free or Die.' "

Sometimes, like New Hampshire's state symbol, those things we trust disappear. They fade away in the night with one sudden phone call or car ride or decision. Perhaps we knew, deep down, that the person would not weather the storm, but we decided to believe it was timeless anyway. When we carry  many responsibilities-children, a marriage, a job, parents, a home-we often come to trust ourselves as well. Who else will keep things going? we wonder. So we hold on tightly to keep everything together, to stay in control.

God's desire is the opposite of our human inclination. He wants us to release our tight-fisted control. He wants us to give him the control of everything in our lives. The widow who gave two small copped coins showed her trust in God to provide for her, even if her every material possession was gone. The crowd who went before her gave a lot, but in proportion to what they owned, they gave but little. They were holding back. This faithful woman "put in everything-all she had to live on" (verse 44).

God wants you to place everything in his hands, not because he wants you to be empty, but because he wants to fill you to overflowing. Of all the things we look to for stability and permanence, he is the only true Rock who will never fall or fade away.
-Women's Devotional Bible


 {Deuteronomy 32:3-4}

3 I will proclaim the name of the Lord;

how glorious is our God!

4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.

Everything he does is just and fair.

He is a faithful God who does no wrong;

how just and upright he is!

 {Psalm 62:1-12}

1 I wait quietly before God,

for my victory comes from him.

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will never be shaken.

3 So many enemies against one man—

all of them trying to kill me.

To them I’m just a broken-down wall

or a tottering fence.

4 They plan to topple me from my high position.

They delight in telling lies about me.

They praise me to my face

but curse me in their hearts.

5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in him.

6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

7 My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

8 O my people, trust in him at all times.

Pour out your heart to him,

for God is our refuge.

9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind,

and the powerful are not what they appear to be.

If you weigh them on the scales,

together they are lighter than a breath of air.

10 Don’t make your living by extortion

or put your hope in stealing.

And if your wealth increases,

don’t make it the center of your life.

11 God has spoken plainly,

and I have heard it many times:

Power, O God, belongs to you;

12 unfailing love, O Lord, is yours.

Surely you repay all people

according to what they have done.

 

{95:1-11}

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.

Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

3 For the Lord is a great God,

a great King above all gods.

4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth

and the mightiest mountains.

5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.

His hands formed the dry land, too.

6 Come, let us worship and bow down.

Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

7 for he is our God.

We are the people he watches over,

the flock under his care.

If only you would listen to his voice today!

8 The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah,

as they did at Massah in the wilderness.

9 For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience,

even though they saw everything I did.

10 For forty years I was angry with them, and I said,

‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me.

They refuse to do what I tell them.’

11 So in my anger I took an oath:

‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

 

{Mark 12:41-42}

41 Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.  

42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

 

{1 Timothy 6:17-19}

17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.  

18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.  

19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life