For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me. Psalm 31:3

I grew up near a small lake and you could see clear to the bottom. I was comfortable there. Waves were gentle and I knew what to expect. But when I was four years old, our family took a summer vacation to the coast of Maine. It was a particularly windy day. The seas were rough and the waves were towering. Being so small, I didn’t go in very far but it didn’t take much to topple a child. The first big wave came in, knocked me off my feet, and I was pulled underwater. I rolled over and over for what seemed like minutes until the wave deposited me up onto the shore. I felt like I nearly drowned and can remember to this day what it felt like to have a mouth full of sand.

Life can feel like that. Out of nowhere, I can be overtaken by unexpected surges of calamity. I feel like someone at the mercy of ocean waves.  I’ve lived enough life to know that hope can be shaken. So can friendships, health, economic security, even ministries. Anything earth-bound can be rocked off its foundation. If I’ve trusted them, believing them to be sound, I am foolish.

My only help is the Rock beneath the surface. He understands the environment and the seas are at His command. I plant my feet on the Rock of Ages ~ even on good days. Securing this posture while the sun is shining puts me in a position for the scary moments when I cry out, “Abba, Daddy!” 

The world says that maturity is self-sufficiency.  God says that maturity is childlikeness.  The cynicism and fear that comes with age tempt us to move away from dependence on anyone.  We even crave independence from God but this puts us in peril. We must intentionally cultivate childlike faith, the kind that knows that, while life may be unraveling, God holds the threads. 

No matter what upheaval you’re facing, it’s possible to be tethered to the Rock of Ages.  How strong the cords of Love that hold our feet in place. Nothing can shake them loose from our sure foundation.  

I need nothing, and no one, more than I need You, Lord.  Amen