Psalm 78:35 “They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.”
I live in the Northwest region of the United States. I’ve lived in either Oregon or Washington state all of my life and have seen much of this land. The region is known for its greenery, from wide expansive pastures to large green forests, there is no shortage of growth from a rain that seems to continually feed it. Climb a hill on a sunny day, just above the tree line and you’ll see something else dotting the landscape…snow capped mountains. These mountains form a veritable chain of mountains stretching from north to south, from Mt. Rainier to Mt. Hood, these majestic peaks add to the beauty of this land.
It’s almost impossible to miss these colossal giants, even when the trees obscure the view or the fog sets in the valley, eventually the mountains come back out and the radiant sun glistens off their peaks.
When I read the Bible, God is often attributed to a Rock; a strong, immoveable, permanent landmark that continues from generation to generation for all to see.
What I don’t understand is how people could miss the mountain or forget the Rock. If you drive up the I-5 freeway, you can’t miss the mountains all along the way, if you have your eyes up and just look you will inevitably see the evidence of these formations.
For someone to miss a mountain, they would have to be closing their eyes. Maybe someone else is driving and you fell asleep, that’s one way to miss the view, or you were busy reading a book or flipping through your phone, unaware of the beauty by which you are surrounded.
I wonder if those people who have forgotten the Rock from which they were hewn or miss the refuge of their salvation have somehow taken their eyes off God and placed them on something else?
Distractions of Life
1 Samuel 2:2 “There is none holy like the Lord; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.”
For someone to neglect the Rock of God’s authority, they would have to be in a state where they either could not, or would not see.
For those who are spiritually asleep, the state of resting from their labor is a stark reminder of how difficult it is to live in sin.
1 Corinthians 15:20 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
When Jesus died upon the cross, He bore the sins of all mankind, both past and present. To those who had gone before, they had looked forward to a coming Messiah and waited for their redeemer. For those yet to come, the Lord knew who would reject Him and likewise those who would believe, He died for their salvation as well.
Falling asleep was likened to the death of the body. Even for those whose flesh has perished, the spirit of mankind lives on, some to everlasting glory and others to everlasting loss. For those who are asleep while their body still lives, they are dead in their trespasses and sins, unaware of the life that surrounds them. The life of Christ is vibrant and growing, like mountain meadows filled with spring flowers, the beauty of this life is reserved for those who trust in Him.
Life moves forward with an unrelenting gait, waiting for no one. From birth to death, this brief period of existence is only for a moment and then the decisions made in that moment last for an eternity.
You can sleep through the journey, only to awaken in the end with the realization that you missed it all, or you can open your eyes and see what is upon you.
Buried in Books
There are books galore these days, self-help books, mysteries, science fiction, or in-depth theological books for those seeking “enlightenment”. Even though holding an actual book is becoming a thing of the past, people read on their phones or computers. These articles are meant for feeding the masses what they want to know, they are as diverse as the people who read them and will catre to every wind of doctrine.
People will read what they want to hear, regardless of an articles credibility or position, if someone has a thought they want reinforced, there is no shortage of material to feed their fancy.
Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
If people get too consumed with books and forget the Bible, even christians, they might miss all that God was speaking to them.
Asleep in the Light
Psalm 132:4-5 “I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
The world slumbers along in a spiritual state of blindness. The lack of knowledge is a testament to their deficiency of the Spirit. They cannot know unless we tell them, the gospel message was given to the church to take into the world.
Being asleep spiritually is often likened to being spiritually unaware. The world may form all kinds of “spiritual” beliefs but they are all poor replicas of God’s authentic Truth. They don’t need doctrine, they will not be able to receive it. The moral law is a testament to the depravity of sin. Unless the world understands their position before a just and Holy God, they will not realize they need grace.
Oh, that the church would be bold in her testimony to people that are dying every day.
Blocked by the Trees
There is an old saying that goes, “you can’t see the forest for the trees”. In other words, if your standing too close, you really can’t have any perspective.
2 Corinthians 4:4 “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
People who claim to be spiritual apart from Christ lose the opportunity to see Truth from falsity. The image of these false gods creates a parallel reality that often mimics God’s truth but leaves the adherents destitute. People will cling to a notion or a random occurrence that they attribute as miraculous, then fervently defend their reality as being proven.
These false gods don’t have to be some traditional falsity like Islam or Buddhism, they can be god’s of money, fame, careers, or education. Sometimes people worship their lifestyles, hiking all over the world, burying themselves in sports, or caught up in video games. There are more opportunities for distraction today than ever before.
Endure
Revelation 14:12 “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.”
The enduring promises of God are like a spiritual fortress in the lives of God’s people. The Word of God does not change and the truths contained within will endure forever.
The faith God’s people have in Christ is a faith that has been tested for thousands of years and yet persists. No evil despot has been able to eradicate this Truth, no spiritual entity has been able to corrupt it, the Truth of God is still available to all who would believe.
If your life lacks stability there is only one place to go, go the Rock of Christ Jesus. Let that rock dash apart all you have built, all you have trusted upon, and let the potter remold you into His image. He will be found faithful and His promises will remain true.
U.T. 