My Rock, My Refuge

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
(Psalm 62:7)

Meditation

Back in the 1960s, a comic named Flip Wilson, had a comedy routine, where he impersonated a female character named Geraldine Jones. Geraldine's claim to fame was doing something she shouldn’t do and then saying, “The devil made me do it!” It was a hilarious routine. In fact, I just said those words in Flip Wilson’s voice and laughed to myself. The problem is, people tend to think of the devil as nothing more than a joke. We think of a red colored figure with horns on his head, holding a pitchfork, and a pointy tail trailing behind him. Unfortunately, he’s very real, and very dangerous. Not to be taken lightly, like some kind of cartoon character. These days, people play around with dark forces they don’t understand. Ouija boards, mediums, seances, and the like are all popular ways to dabble in the supernatural. They have no idea what they’re opening themselves up to.
My only hope against such a powerful evil being is to be obedient to Christ, to keep the devil at bay. He is much stronger than I am on my own. I must remain constantly in prayer, studying the Word of God every day. If I try to stand against him in my own strength and power, I will succumb every time. I admit, I am weak. I have the same sinful desires that I had before Christ saved me. If I try to resist falling back into those sins on my own, the results are just what you might expect; I fail. I need the strength of Jesus to give me the ability to avoid the trap of my own sinful desires. I don’t need self-help books, feel good gurus coaching me on how to live, or any other earthly crutch. I need the power of the mighty rock.
Jesus is that mighty rock. I cannot save myself from the punishment I deserve. I cannot hide from an all seeing, all knowing, ever present God, who hates my sin. The Father in heaven is my rightful judge, he judges me guilty, and the sentence is death. However, because of the One I have taken refuge in, I have received a pardon for my sins. I am clothed in his righteousness, so I don’t have to worry about that death sentence. As long as I walk in the shadow of the mighty rock, I will be safe from the wiles of the devil. As long as I continue to take refuge in Christ, my salvation is secure. It’s when I step out of his protection, and strike out on my own, the devil will pounce. 




Daily Prayer

Dear Lord, you are so good, and we are so wicked. The penalty for our sin is death. Therefore, we will perish and then, stand in judgment. We all deserve the punishment of eternity in hell for our wickedness, but because of your grace, we can spend eternity with you in heaven. You sent Jesus to us, to save all who turned to him. It’s your will that we all repent of our sins and turn to Jesus. We thank you for the offer of salvation and the free will to choose you over iniquity. When we are closely following Jesus, he is our mighty rock. We don’t have to worry about the condemnation that is our due. You have granted us pardon for our wickedness by being cleansed in the blood of Jesus. When sin comes knocking on our door, help us to remember we can take refuge in you. When we slip and fall back into sin, Lord, please be quick to forgive us and help us to find our way back to righteousness. Don’t ever let us forget we do not stand alone against the evil of this world. We have a mighty rock to guard our hearts. Help us to share this gift of love, of life, and of light with everyone we meet. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

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