Hide me in the cleft of a rock.. besiege my heart

Our most recent excursion into the woods was illustrated by rain.  Beautiful or hated, the clouds gathered, mist rolled in, and heavens dumped water onto a thirsty land.

I love revisiting an area of the forest that I have been in before.  There are always secrets to be revisited and new treasures to be uncovered.  Our blessed secret this time was a huge rock formation called Storyteller Rock. Pictures cannot do justice to the massive expanse of rock that creates a haven of dry stone in its menacing shadow.

I started this trip with anticipation, thinking that there had to be something special waiting for me on a mountain top in the rain.  Instead, I found shelter in the cleft of the rock while I watched the lightening flash and listened to the thunder roll.

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." - (Psalm 18:2 NIV)

"For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD." - (Psalm 27:5-6 NIV)

In the lee this huge rock, we watched the storm rage.  The wind whipped, rains poured (I believe the appropriate southern term is "gully washer"), and lightening streaked across the sky.  We were dry, we were safe - we built a fire and roasted marshmallows!  All this while seated on and in the shelter of the rock.

"Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."" - (Isaiah 44:8 NIV)

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." ... If you make the Most High your dwelling--even the LORD, who is my refuge-- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. ... "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."" - (Psalm 91:1-2, 9-10, 14-16 NIV)

Now think about it for a minute.  Every story is all about perspective [mental view or outlook], right?  So how else might this story have been written?

In Psalms, the psalmist sings over and over about being sheltered by or placed on a rock. Rock sometimes comes from a word meaning lofty that can mean a stronghold of Jehovah and a place of security, but another word is also used.  That word for rock finds its root in a word meaning to confine, bind, besiege, cramp, and enclose; to shut in or shut up; to fashion or delineate.

Are you roasting marshmallows in your safe place or are you too busy feeling trapped?

How often do we feel trapped in a storm, confined by God's "rules", or besieged by our circumstances?  Do we feel imposed upon by God's lines in our sand?

I can think of several times in (perhaps recent) life when my dialog would have gone something like, "It's horrible!  There is lightening and thunder everywhere!  The wind is high.  I'm terrified!  I don't see why I have to go through something like this!"  Are you wet?  "No."  Are you injured?  "No."  Did any trees fall on you?  "No!" "But I'm trapped underneath this rock and I don't know how I'm ever going to get out!"

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." - (Psalm 23:4-5 NIV)

"Through the valley of the shadow of death.... in the presence of my enemies...." Somehow that isn't always quite where I'd like my rock to be.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

Trust - so easy to say, but sometimes so hard to do.  

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - (Romans 15:13 NIV)

I love how God never expects us to do anything in our own strength. 

Trust, my friends, that those lines in the sand aren't drawn to limit your horizons but to hinder your enemies.  Trust that the small corner in which you feel trapped is your safety in the midst of the storm.  Ask for the power of the holy spirit to enable you to hope.

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah" - (Psalm 32:7 NIV)