Have you ever heard the phrase “caught between a rock and a hard place?” It was a common saying growing up, and my parents used it many times.
It means a person is cornered between two extreme situations, neither is better, and any choice will be terrible. It’s a difficult, uncomfortable situation.
How about “hard as a rock”? I think of this phrase when I sleep on an uncomfortable mattress. Lumpy and rocky.
Rocks are usually associated with negative things or hard times in our lives.
“Thinks are rocky right now. I’m sure they’ll be better soon.”
Imagine my surprise when I read Psalm 71, and the psalmist asked God to be his rock of habitation! That doesn’t sound like a place I’d want to be!
“Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come” Psalm 71:3
A habitation is a dwelling place. Wouldn’t a rock be a rough and uncomfortable place to stay? Not when we dig a little deeper into scripture. A habitation is also a hidden den, a place of refuge. A rock or stone provides impenetrable shelter, a safe place, and a refuge from danger. A bunker, if you will.
We have that shelter and safety today. His name is Jesus. He is our cornerstone (Eph. 2:20), the rock-solid foundation on which we build our lives.
The Old Testament points us to Jesus when it tells us God is our rock of strength (Ps. 31:2). Deuteronomy tells us God is a dwelling place, and we can find shelter under His everlasting arms. Jesus wants to shelter us under His arms as well!
“How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” Matthew 23:27
When we make Jesus our rock of habitation, those old sayings take on new meaning, don’t they? Jesus is my rock and my hard place (shelter, protection). The covering of His arms is hard as a rock (strong, strong, strong!).
Let Jesus be your Rock!
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