Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
God has been compared to a lot of things, but have you ever thought of Him as a rock? Today's Verse of the Day actually points to Him being that and so much more.
It's 2 Samuel chapter 22, verse 32. "For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?"
Context: Deliverance from the Enemy
Let's look at what this Scripture is surrounded by. If you were to look into this passage and read the whole chapter, you'll see it's actually written by King David. He wrote the majority of the book of Psalms—it's songs of praise, songs of lament, poetry, helping him process his seasons of life. Right here we see that he actually wrote a little feature in the book of 2 Samuel. It's in the context of his deliverance from his enemy. There was a king named Saul who was trying to come after him and take him out, because he was scared that David would take his throne from him. Spoiler alert—he actually does. Saul does not kill David, but David, in the wake of a victory, in the wake of God delivering him out of the hand of his enemies, sings this song.
The Word "Lord"
We have to look at the first part of this, and I want to point something out here in Scripture. Maybe you've noticed this before. You'll see the word "Lord." Sometimes it just has a capital L, and other times all four letters are capitalized. Have you ever wondered why that's the case? There's actually a reason for it. When you see the word Lord all capitalized, it's meant to embody the supremacy of God, speaking of His level, where He's at in measure to everybody else. When you see Lord, it means higher than every other Lord. Maybe you've heard this phrase before: He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords.
Think of it this way—if you see the capital LORD, it's saying there is no one higher than Him in this world. Men and women will set themselves up in places of authority and power and claim that they have it all, they own it all. But this word points to God being above them. When the Scripture says, "For who is God except the LORD?" In the context of being freed and delivered from his enemies, David is saying, "No man could have done this, only the Lord over every other Lord, the King over every other king, went into battle and delivered me from the hand of my enemies." How cool!
Watch out for that little nugget. As you're reading through Scripture, you'll see that word. Imagine God being higher than every other person in that passage.
God as a Rock
Now the back end of this—it talks about Him being a rock. David's writing a song here that has never been written before, with words that have never been placed together in this order, with a melody that has never been laid over it. He's writing something that's never existed, and he decided to compare God to a rock. It made me ask myself, what am I comparing God to?
For David, he's pointing to God's durability, His stability, His foundational nature. You can depend on God. But it challenged me. When I go through a difficult season where I need God to show up, what am I comparing Him to? What are my expectations of Him? If you're anything like me, I look to man a lot more than I look to God, and it's difficult to come to those realizations, but we need to.
Comparing God to Man
I look at what I would expect man to do in a difficult situation for me. I'm looking for a quick fix, and when God doesn't come through in the time that I expect Him to, I start wondering, I start questioning, and if I'm honest, doubts start stirring up in my heart. What I've done is I've put God on man's level. I've actually lowercased the name of God to what man is holding. Instead, I should be holding man in light of God.
When I start comparing man to God, I see God rightly. When I compare God to man, I'm lowering Him to my standards and expectations. When you're facing something that's difficult and you don't know how to get through it—one, remember that He is above all. No other name is higher than His. No other man or woman will ever be able to take His place.
Is He the Lord of Your Life?
Then ask yourself: Do I have accurate expectations of Him? Then ultimately, is He the Lord of your life? Is He the one that's guiding you in every decision you make, so that when you're walking through deliverance from the hands of your enemies, He's the one calling the shots? He's the one keeping you safe. He's the one helping you. Is He the Lord of your life?
I would ask you today: If you've not made that decision to make Jesus the Lord of your life, to be your Deliverer, your Redeemer, that you consider it, and you take time to pray and ask Him to step into your world, and He will lead you, and He will be your rock.
