Rock
<<unmovable tower of strength>>
Because of its hardness, rock is a symbol of stability, dependability and security, a solid foundation, without which whatever is relying on
it is in danger
of being dislodged and destroyed by the forces coming against it (Ps 40:2; Mt 7:24,25).
God is referred to as the eternal rock of our salvation (Ps 18:2, 28:1, 31:2,3; Isa 26:4). Is my life firmly built on Him? He alone will provide the sure foundation we will need to survive the catastrophes this world is beginning to experience and which will increase in intensity.
Ensure the storms of life make you cling tighter to the Rock
Christ is called the corner stone [the crucial part of a building] and we are being carefully joined together around Him as ‘living stones’
to make God’s Church (Eph 2:20,21; 1 Pet 2:4-7). It was after Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God” that Christ
said, “You are a stone, and upon this rock I will build my Church” (Mt 16:16-18). By this He was referring, either to the confession of
faith made by Peter and subsequently by all believers,
or to Himself and His work of salvation.
In Scripture Jesus is also called ‘a rock of offence’ or ‘an occasion for stumbling’ – the reason why many Jews rejected Him (Isa 8:14,15; Rom 9:33; 1 Pet 2:8). However, He himself said, “Blessed are those who are not offended and do not fall away because of my teaching” because He recognized that there will come times of testing and opportunity to turn from the closeness of relationship to Christ, with a souring of the intimacy and a cooling of the intensity in our devotion (Mt 11:6, 13:21; Jn 6:60-66).
Likewise, the image is also applied to hard, uncaring, self-centred humans whom God can renew. He [God] says, I will take your hard, unresponsive heart of stone and give you a pliable heart of flesh that can respond to me (Ezek 36:26). He can do the impossible!
See also: foundation, hardhearted, stone.