The Rock on Which I Stand

“What, this is it?!” This was my reaction as we reached the end of the trail. Some friends and I had been hiking on a trail none of us had ever been on before. It was a magnificent trail, right in the heart of a canyon complete with sheer walls of rock and pinnacles hundreds of feet above us. After a few miles of hiking eventually the trail began to lead out of the canyon. Our anticipation grew as we started ascending. Further up we could see views of the surrounding hills and mountains full of evergreens. What a grand place we must be heading to. I could picture it, a panoramic vista complete with rocks to climb and sit on as we took in God’s beautiful creation. We’d be able to rest and eat and then head back down again energized by the heights.

It is an understatement to say that I was a bit disappointed when we reached the top and found a dusty road, no place to sit, and virtually no view. Why would someone create a trail that seemingly led to nowhere important? So, instead of enjoying what I had been envisioning, after a quick look around, we headed back down. Somehow the beauty of the trail seemed lost. What was the point? Now of course I could go into the details of how the hike gave us the opportunity to exercise and fellowship, see someplace new, etc., but honestly those weren’t the main reasons I had trekked all the way. I had wanted to see and experience something better at the destination, so I felt jipped.

So often life treats us like that. God seems to open a door, we get a truly inspired idea, a relationship starts, we branch out in a new direction. At first it seems so right, we walk along and can’t believe the new things we’re seeing and doing, we’re enjoying the sights and what God is up to. As we progress the climb gets a little steeper, but we’re not discouraged, the trail must be leading somewhere, it must be worth the effort and work, not to mention that the views so far are great. And then it comes—this trail doesn’t really lead anywhere. There’s nothing at the top. We ask, what was the point? Why did that happen? It seemed so right. We so easily discount the beautiful journey because it didn’t turn out the way we wanted or expected, so we head back down quick, this time missing the sights because we’re hung up on the fact that God didn’t come through for us. What started out so great didn’t turn out the way we expected. He led us along a path that led nowhere. People will chime in and say, well maybe you didn’t go the right way, maybe you got off course there. Or others will try the more positive approach saying that the next climb is sure to have what you’re looking for, so don’t be afraid to try again. Just keep hoping. But they have missed the true point.

This is what I’ve found. You can be following God completely and a trail can have a dismal finale. But even though you don’t understand why a trail that God opened up would seem to lead nowhere, as you descend and release your disappointment to Him, His whisper begins to win you over again. Hints of beauty break in and pretty soon life is not looking so bleak. Though the sights are the same as what you saw before and the trail you hiked led nowhere, God is still in control and He still knows what will speak to your heart, what you need to see and do, even if you’re right back where you started. And the truth is you may be back where you started, but you’re not actually the same. Even though it seems like nothing changed, God did something in your heart on the journey. You now know that life sometimes feels like you’re wandering without a destination, but the fact is that you are headed somewhere, towards someone and the best way to get there is to keep walking and following His voice. Pretty soon you realize that He’s not only in front of you, but he’s also behind you, and above you, and on either side, He’s right there inside of you. He has not moved. Pretty soon you realize that He’s enough and all the sights you saw and all the sights you hoped to see, don’t compare to who you’re looking at now—the Rock on which you stand!

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
(Words by Edward Mote)

Red Light, Green Light

As I sat in the dark watching the cars stop and start at the four-way traffic light, I couldn’t help but think of the parallels between what was happening in front of me and my spiritual journey. God has me at a red light right now. I wonder when the waiting will end, when it will be my turn to go forward, to turn, to at least move. Watching the cars stop and go I realized just how close everyone was away from a fatal crash. If one car went when it wasn’t its turn it wouldn’t have been good for that car or the one it hit. It wouldn’t have been good for anyone not to have waited.

But waiting on God is hard. It feels like it would just be easier if you knew how long the wait would be. At least with traffic lights you know your turn will come around sometime. That is unless the light is broken and in that case it really was supposed to be your turn, but the system just didn’t work right. I wonder if that is part of it. We do live in a broken, messed up world and even though our master engineer works beautiful things out of the junk the fact is that sometimes things just don’t work right.

One thing I heard recently was the idea that we shouldn’t always wait for green lights. God is more in the business of giving us red lights to protect us, but he wants us to move forward in faith, so maybe sometimes we’re sitting at an intersection and it doesn’t have any signals. Sometimes we’re just supposed to go. How do we know? Well if our eyes are open and we’re not color blind we’ll see the red lights.  We won’t be able to miss them. In other cases the rules for stopping and going at intersections are more discretionary.

A harder question though is how do we know if something is always going to be a red light and we need to go another way or if at some point it will turn green? How long do we wait before we move in another direction? Is the red light a barrier that won’t come down or just a light on a timer, like the one that I witnessed in action beautifully conducting traffic. Timing, God’s timing is mysterious.

Recently I moved from a house that was a very short distance from where I work to a house that has tripled my commute time. Though it is hardly a distance to complain about I have found myself waiting at more traffic lights than usual and it has reminded me of my impatience. For me, I think I usually give up on waiting before things have fully been birthed. I rush ahead thinking this must be it, only to have my hopes disappointed.  How long can I sit and wait and not do, just be? Can I wait or must I always rush ahead? I want to wait. I want to be ok in this place of not knowing what or when or where or how or even whom? I want to wait at this light for a little while longer even though it is hard.

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait patiently for him.' The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD." - Lamentations 3:21-26