Anchored to the Rock! by Tom Hollis
We all have a story. God has intervened in your story. All our stories have moments of doubt, fear, and pain, but also, moments of divine strength, intervention, and love.
Jesus speaks to our stories.
He ends the Sermon on the Mount with these words:
24 “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.
25 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.
26 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.
27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matt 7:24-27
Foundations -Not prayer, not Bible reading, not church attendance. All super important. But this is even more important.
The foundation of relationship.
Don’t just know about God, we need to know God. Father. Friend. Intimacy.
Revelation 3:20
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
David
Few hit the depths of despair that David did. Saul, Goliath, self-inflicted wounds, Absalom
But it was said of him that he was a man after God’s own heart. He knew God.
Relationship with God is always important but especially in the hard times. David had a covenant relationship with God.
Let’s look at one of David’s hard times. There are three steps or principles in anchoring ourselves to a foundation of relationship with God.
Psalm 86
Step 1: Get God’s Attention – You know God by seeking Him
Incline Your ear, Lord, and answer me;
For I am afflicted and needy.
2 Protect my soul, for I am godly;
You my God, save Your servant who trusts in You.
3 Be gracious to me, Lord,
For I call upon You all day long.
4 Make the soul of Your servant joyful,
For to You, Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in mercy to all who call upon You.
6 Listen, Lord, to my prayer;
And give Your attention to the sound of my pleading!
7 On the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.
Step 2: Declare God’s Uniqueness – You know God by remembering who He is.
8 There is no one like You among the gods, Lord,
Nor are there any works like Yours.
9 All nations whom You have made will come and worship before You, Lord,
And they will glorify Your name.
10 For You are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
You alone are God.
“One of my main reasons for being a Christian is that Christianity speaks to the problem of suffering at the deepest possible level. The Christian God is not just a compassionate spectator, looking down in pity on the bitterness of the strange world that God has made. We believe that the Creator has been a fellow participant in the world’s suffering, that God knows it from the inside and does not just sympathize with it from the outside. God is not above us in our misery, but alongside us in our darkness.” – John Polkinghorne
Step 3: Follow God’s Path – You know God by walking with Him
11 Teach me Your way, Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will give thanks to You, Lord my God, with all my heart,
And I will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your graciousness toward me is great,
And You have saved my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Finally, David sums it all up.
14 God, arrogant men have risen up against me,
And a gang of violent men have sought my [e]life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
Slow to anger and abundant in mercy and [f]truth.
16 Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the son of Your maidservant.
17 Show me a sign of good,
That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,
Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
David ends still in the middle of the trial. We don’t know his struggle.
There is no resolution given. But he trusts in God.
Are you in the middle of the storm right now? Is the wind blowing and the ground shaking? Are you on the solid rock? Do you have a firm foundation with Jesus?
Now is the time to anchor yourself to the Rock.