Who Is Our Rock? | Finding a Firm Foundation

Gardening metaphors are great. Poker metaphors are plentiful. But I love the earth sciences, so my life metaphors usually involve rocks or volcanoes, and occasionally tornadoes. I love that Jesus told the parable of the house built on a rock vs. a house built on sand! 

Jesus didn’t pull that idea out of thin air, though. He knew the Scriptures, which at that time were just the Old Testament. Several Psalms point out that God is our rock, including Psalms 18 and 40. I’ve been singing them and other songs lately to feel more grounded.

Another one, Psalm 46, doesn’t explicitly say God is our rock. Instead, it lists several end-of-the-world worst-case scenarios, yet reminds us that God is still in control. I don’t know about you, but I need this right now! Reading the news, I am terrified. But these verses reassure me. I’ll include the actual Psalm at the end of this post, but here is a short song I know from the church I grew up in: 

God is our refuge and strength; He is our helper in trouble (repeat)
We will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall to the sea
We will not fear, though the nations roar and war continues to be

I love that this song/Psalm includes natural catastrophes as well as human atrocities. No power in the world is bigger than God. I also love the idea that He is our refuge. In addition to God being our rock, Psalm 18 also uses the metaphor of Him being a fortress. This recalls some of the castles and fortresses I saw while living and traveling overseas. Some were built in the low land or cities. But many were built on solid hills. The highest one I saw (and hiked up to) was the Red Fort/City (Shahr-e-Zohak) near Bamiyan, Afghanistan. This fortress was high and strong enough to defeat the hordes of Ghengis Khan’s grandson. Having a firm foundation on a huge solid rock can make a difference. 

Our current world of politicians, policies, programs and others usually mean well. But they can be shifting sands: strong enough to walk on for a bit, like hiking at the coastal dunes. But that is exhausting, and the path can be confusing. I don’t want to be on those dunes if a tsunami or storm hits. I hope to stand high on basalt, that dark strong stuff made by volcanoes. My rock is Jesus, my fortress, my refuge. 

Psalm 46:1-7
God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts His voice, the earth melts. 
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

Psalm 18: 1-3, 19, 30-33
1-3: I love you, Lord, my strength. 
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 
My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

19: I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. 
He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. 

30-33: As for God, His way is perfect: the Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him. 
For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? 
It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights.

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About the Author

Jessie is a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a blog about travel and the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her sweet husband, Chris, their 5 funny kids, and 1 fluffy cat in Springfield. She loves hiking and other outdoor and indoor adventures with her family.

Who is Our Rock? | Stand Firm

When I was little, I learned a song in Bible School about the wise man that built his house upon the rock and when the rains came down, the house on the rock stood firm. However, the foolish man built his house upon the sand and when the floods came his house went SPLAT! Growing up, that truth stuck with me. I learned how if I put my hope and trust in the LORD, when the storms of life come I can stand firm because Christ is my foundation and my fortress. He draws me out of deep waters and sets my feet on higher ground.

He is true to His promises, which shows that we can trust in Him and He will never fail us. These are just a few of His promises:

• Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

• Isaiah 26:3 He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him.

• Jeremiah 29:11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

• Deuteronomy 31:8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

There are times when I put my trust in myself, or in money, or in another person, and I am always let down. The things of this earth can not hold up to the troubles that come. What are you finding your security in besides God? How can you take that faith and place it on the one who always stands the test of time?

In Psalm 125, it says that “Those who trust in and rely on the Lord [with confident expectation] Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds His people from this time forth and forever.” So when we trust in the LORD, he makes us like his Son. We cannot be shaken because he is always faithful and trustworthy and always comes through for his children. His plans always prevail and never fail.

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About the Author

Mollie is recently married to her wonderful husband Dustin. She is a Wound Care RN at McKenzie Willamette Hospital. She enjoys being creative, getting outdoors and spending time with friends and family.

Who is Our Rock? | Jesus: A Rock to Build On or Stumble Over?

Where do I find stability in life? How do I build a secure and prosperous future for myself and my family? When everything around me seems shaky and uncertain, how can I find something trustworthy and reliable to guide my decisions? These are primal questions to which we all seek answers, and the conclusions we come to about these questions have a snowball effect in our lives. Not having answers to these questions can be a source of great anxiety and fear. Answers that seem unrealistic or unattainable can bring depression, hopelessness and despair.

For a Christian, the obvious answer to these questions is Jesus. Jesus is our rock and our firm foundation. He is the one upon which we build a secure future. How many songs that we sing at church declare this truth?

On Christ the solid Rock I stand, 
All other ground is sinking sand…

Jesus, you’re my firm foundation, 
I know I can stand secure…

Christ is my firm foundation, 
The Rock on which I stand…

But, what does this mean that Jesus is my Rock? For most of my life, when I’ve sung these kinds of songs at church, I’ve tended to think of this “Rock” and the “Firm Foundation” as referring to a confession of faith in Christ. My profession of faith in Christ makes my present and future life secure in Him. While I believe that is a true statement, I have come to realize that it only captures one part of what is a dynamic, lengthy and scary process of building and rebuilding to find stability on the Rock of Jesus Christ.

While a confession of faith is a critically important starting point, it is just that: a starting point. And this important starting point cannot be separated from the actions that naturally flow out of a sincere confession. The confession of Jesus as Messiah is the firmest foundation upon which I can start to build, but it is the actions that naturally flow out of that confession that will make my life strong and durable over the long haul.

Jesus was very clear about this. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7, Jesus told a short parable about two kinds of builders in life. One was wise, and the other was foolish. The difference between the wise and foolish builders was not that one listened to Jesus and the other did not. They both listened, but it was the wise builder who listened and put into practice what Jesus taught. Strength, security and stability in life comes to those who do their best to put into practice the things that Jesus says to do. Stability is found in the doing, not the hearing or the thinking or even the speaking.

This distinction between words and actions wouldn’t be much of an issue for me except that so many of Jesus’s teachings counter ways in which I tend to think that I will build a secure future for myself.

The disciple, Peter, is a perfect illustration of this struggle. In Matthew 16, Jesus changed Peter’s name from Simon, which means “listen” or “hearing,” to Peter, which means “rock.” It is Peter’s confession of faith in Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16)” that leads Jesus to change Peter’s name. Upon changing his name, Jesus uses a play on words to make a prophetic statement about Peter’s future: “Upon this rock I will build my church.” Peter’s confession is the rock. His confession of Jesus as Messiah and Lord is a starting point upon which Jesus can build a strong church. But, it is only a starting point. Peter immediately struggles to follow through on his confession. In the very next exchange, Jesus tells his disciples about how he must go to Jerusalem and suffer and die, and Peter responds by rebuking Jesus: “No way! May it never be!” Peter can’t understand how suffering and death could possibly be the will of God for the Messiah. Peter’s rebuke leads Jesus to call him another kind of rock: a stumbling block! One minute Peter is the strong rock upon which the church is built. The next he is a rock that is aligned with Satan and getting in the way of Jesus’s mission and calling. Can you relate to this? I sure can!

The importance of actions that align with words is profoundly illustrated in the exchange between Peter and Jesus. A confession of faith in Christ only produces stability in our lives over the long haul as we do our best to adjust and make changes to align our lives to Jesus, even when His way seems odd or strange or unsettling to us. This is the true cost of discipleship – learning to submit our usual ways of seeking security and stability for ourselves (through things like hoarding possessions, military power, social position, and economic independence) to God’s ways (vulnerability, peacekeeping, servanthood, and generosity). It is through a willingness and commitment to take simple, daily actions consistent with those principles that Jesus taught and lived, even when they might seem like utter foolishness and ”a stumbling block” on the path of wise living (1 Cor 1:20-25), that makes Jesus a firm foundation in the inevitable storms of our lives.

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About the Author

Aaron is a passionate seeker of God and truth, and he enjoys encouraging others in their own pursuits of the same. He especially likes to think about how God is at work in the most ordinary and mundane aspects of our existence. He loves going on adventures to new places with his wife, Heather, and four kids and his perfect day would involve an excellent cup of coffee (or two!), a hike to somewhere beautiful and serene, and some good conversation over a pint at a warm pub. He currently serves as an adjunct instructor at Portland Seminary and co-leads the CitySalt Kids’ Ministry along with his wife, Heather.

Who is Our Rock? | God Rocks!

God is our rock!

What a big, bold and beautiful symbol that is. We've heard it repeatedly over the years. Jesus referenced it with his house-on-the-rock comparison and it's certainly something for us to hold on to when things get shaky. Yes God is a rock.

But our lives are rocky.

He built the cosmos, so large and complex that even our math equations can't translate it from mere ideas to what we can perhaps begin to fathom. God is big, and his ways, even bigger. But the seemingly endless void of space and our earthly world can be violent. As we've recently seen, concrete isn't a sure thing in a hurricane. At times like this the comfort of rock-solid hope can break down.

God certainly does save us from harm. But there are times when he doesn't, right? And in that suffering, the drama of our collective humanity plays out. Our biggest fears are exposed, and the suffering will test us. We are forced to choose between hope and despair. Then what we hope for now shifts to whom.

His promise is to always show up.

A few weeks ago Colby and I were in Zion National Park, a place with the most beautiful pastel sandstone cliffs and slot canyons in the world. We were descending into a steep and deep canyon, then hiking up many miles through a stream to an iconic spot - The Subway. Unfortunately we miscalculated the distance and effort needed, and ended up hiking the last two miles back downstream in the dark - exhausted, out of water and with only one working headlamp.

It was one of the hardest days I can remember.

The darkness had now removed all our precious landmarks on the canyon rim above, and we were not sure exactly where the trail was, up and out of our canyon. I was worried and needed to calm down, so we sat down by the stream. I told her there was a chance we would have to spend the night down here, and wait for help in the morning. Her pretty face held a quiet resolve and she wasn't ready to give up. But we needed help.

Side note: Colby has collected big and small heart-shaped rocks for years. Earlier in the day I found a large one, about the size of a basketball. I took a picture of it and we moved on. Now after our rest stop, as we were sloshing across the creek to the other side, hoping to catch our trail out of the canyon, she suddenly squealed.

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About the Author

Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.

He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.

Who is Our Rock? | Christ, the Solid Rock

The chorus of the well-known hymn begins with the lyrics: “On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.” This is the topic the City Salt Blog Team wants to explore in the coming weeks. And what a timely topic this is, given the unrest in the world and in our own country. Where do we place our ultimate trust? Where do we stand? Where do we build our house, on shifting sands or solid rock? As Jesus says in Matthew 7:24-27:

“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. 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. 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 the sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it crashed with a great crash.”

Jesus says we are to both hear his words and put them into practice in order to have a firm foundation. But what were these words Jesus was referring to? Well, there were a lot! Starting in Matthew 5, Jesus begins his most famous Sermon on the Mount by turning the world on its head and revealing who is blessed (and by contrast, who is not.) Then he mentions many other topics: 

Salt and light, the fulfillment of the law, murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, an eye for an eye, love for our enemies, giving to the needy, how to pray, how to fast, where our treasures are, do not worry, judging others, asking/seeking/knocking, the narrow and wide gates, true and false prophets, true and false disciples….and THEN he mentions the wise and foolish builders. Apparently there are a lot of words Jesus wants us to hear!

But in another Scripture passage, Jesus simplifies all this for us by responding to a teacher of the law who asked Jesus what the most important commandment was. In Mark 12:28-31, we read: 

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this. ‘Hear o Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

If you look back at all those words Jesus spoke during or after the Sermon on the Mount, you can see that all these topics would be finer details stemming from the greatest commandments!

The point of all this is that if we want to build our house on a firm foundation (metaphorically speaking), we need to start by loving God, following him with all we’ve got, loving our neighbors (which means e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. (Look at the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:25-37) and, last but not least, loving ourselves in a good and healthy way.

In many places right now, the world is on fire. We in the USA are not immune from the dangers of fire. In fact, we have our own version ablaze in politics, culture wars, religious beliefs, racism and all the other “-isms.”

Surely, we have to decide where we stand in these areas in accordance with our beliefs and convictions. But do we place all our confidence and energies in these outcomes? With American politics as an example, is the next elected president (whoever that may be) our true Savior? Will the world come to an end if So-and-So is elected? Or will that person solve all our problems and be our deep peace that is beyond all understanding, as the Bible says? No! To be good citizens involved in our democratic system, we should do our research, weigh the options and vote. But if that is our only hope, that’s like building our house on sand. God alone is the solid rock and our firm foundation. We can be “in the world” by participating in it, as Jesus indicated when he told the Pharisees to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). But we aren’t “of the world” in the sense that our home is truly with God and in his kingdom. That’s our deepest home!

This brings us back to the second half of Jesus’ admonition: putting his words into practice. In the political example mentioned above, this might mean showing respect for those who vote differently from you, no matter how strongly you disagree. How hard it is to follow Jesus’ command to love our neighbors, even more so our enemies! But if we believe him, he will make it possible and we will experience our home standing firm when the storms come.

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About the Author

John lives in Pleasant Hill with his dog, Gunnar, and a multitude of guests who enjoy the peace and beauty of the Cascade foothills. With three children and three grandchildren all living in Oregon, he is continually blessed with their company and the good food that always accompanies their get-togethers!