in the Cleft of the Rock

 

I do most of my ‘deep’ thinking early in the morning. Today I was meditating on how wonderful it is to rest in the Lord.  I know for me it is something I depend on fully but don’t often try to verbalize. 

I was thinking of all the scriptures that describe the state of being that the Lord offers His Own.  One scripture and a hymn stood out. 

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:” Deut. 33:27  Consider the toddler when Daddy (or Mommy) comes home after an absence. The child races across the room and launches himself into his father’s arms, fully confident that he will be caught.  The seem to have no fear of heights or depths or scary situations as long as daddy’s arms are holding him  We can have that same confidence and the arms that hold us know no weakness or tiring.

Fanny Crosby wrote many of our most beautiful hymns.  One of them describes how we are protected by the savior.   

“He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.”

What a safe place to be! I have a picture in my mind of standing in a small cleft of rock in the desert.  The tall rocks tower up on three sides and I look out across a hot and barren land full of dangers.  And all the while I’m safe there in the cozy corner protected by the Hand of God. 

We have to face the world, but the Hand of God protects our eternal soul from danger.  And, yes, many, many times our physical body is held safe.  But regardless of physical harm we know of a surety that the most vital part of us is safe in God’s Hands.