Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

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A Rock & A Hard Place

March 20, 2025 by Ellen Leave a Comment

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

Rock of Habitation

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!

 

 

Do you have a longing in your heart that needs to be filled? Are you hurting or grieving? Click here to get your copy of Longing to Belong. It will bring hope to your longing heart!

 

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Going Home & Coming Home: Exodus and Ezra

October 5, 2023 by Ellen 2 Comments

This month marks the tenth anniversary of this blog! Ten years! God has been so faithful to provide. To celebrate, I am playing “re-runs” of some of my favorite blogs. I hope you enjoy them – again ?

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This blog post is a “Bible Bite” – a short and tasty tidbit from God’s Word. Today, we’ll be talking about going home and coming home. Let’s begin in Exodus.

“I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.” Exodus 3:21-22 NASB

God knew Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Hebrew people go easily. Pharaoh wouldn’t give them anything for their journey home, either. He was a meanie! But God! He provided for His people. The material the Israelites plundered and carried out of Egypt became part of what they used to construct the tabernacle. God sent them on their way with building supplies.

I image the Egyptians were happy to provide what was needed. After all, they’d been subject to God’s plagues: Bloody water, frogs, gnats, flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail and fire, locusts, darkness and finally the unthinkable-death of the first born child in each family. Horrors! I would’ve kicked them out too! Get out! And don’t come back!

Next, we have the Israeli exiles returning from Babylon. They had been captives for 70 years. Slaves in servitude, like their forefathers in Egypt. After 70 years, God stirred the heart of King Cyrus to allow the exiles to go home and rebuild.

Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed long ago when Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city and surrounding area. The Hebrew people would be freed slaves, traveling with nothing, going home to nothing. Zilch. Zero.

But God.

“‘Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ All those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;” Ezra 1:4, 6-7 NASB

God provided, so His people could come home and rebuild His temple. Going and coming, building or rebuilding, God will provide all you need. Amen and amen!

What a beautiful story of God’s faithfulness!

 

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