God Speaking

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge…” – Psalms 18:2

Recently a friend gave me an article she had seen in a Hawaiian newspaper which she had read while being there on holidays.

It was a fascinating article about a Hawaiian delicacy called an “opihi”. This opihi is a small limpet found along the rocky shore of the islands. It grows in very rough waters and consequently is quite difficult to collect. The article went on to describe how The Oceanic Institute had tried to grow these delicacies, commercially, in ideal settings, with plenty of algae for food etc., but the opihi failed to thrive. They seem to only thrive where they are forced to cling to rocks to avoid being swept away.

What an interesting comparison we can draw from this article to our own spiritual walk.

How often are our lives like the opihi? Sometimes we seem to be beset with wave after wave of problems, difficulties and seemingly unending trials. We cling to our faith, praying that somehow we can hang on until the waves subside and then, much to our amazement, when the water becomes calm, we realize just like the opihi, we have grown through that turbulent time. The ugly times have not scarred us and we realize we are stronger than ever and then we understand why, as the ancient words echo through our minds,

“….he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” – Psalms 40:2

We discover the next time the waves of tribulation begin to unsettle our lives; we are not as frightened as we cling to the rock that holds us fast. Then the comforting words of that old hymn flow through our minds, calming and consoling us with age old wisdom.

“Rock of ages, cleft for me. Let me hide myself in thee” – Rock of Ages, hymn

The other blessing of hanging on through strife is that as we grow stronger we are able to reach out to others who are in danger of being swept away.

We can be guides to those who cry out like this psalmist,

“From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” – Psalms 61:2

As we reflect on our experiences, it begins to dawn on us that the Rock never moves. The storms may rage, but we like the little opihi have a safe refuge as long as we cling to that Rock that is higher than us.

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