“Lead me to the Rock.”

PSALM lxi. 2.

THE sweet Psalmist of Israel was a man of trouble from his youth upwards, and his Spirit-given songs have been made useful in subsequent ages to the tried and afflicted family of God. The saints, during the old dispensation, were called to go through fire and water on their journey to the wealthy place, and this is their appointed lot in more or less degree under the new economy also, for Christ said, not merely to His immediate disciples, but to all His followers unto the end of time, “In the world ye shall have tribulation.” Many are the kinds of tribulation through which they have to pass; and if some of them have not one form of affliction, they certainly have another. There are troubles of an outward nature pertaining to the body and their external circumstances in the world; and there are troubles of an inward nature pertaining to the state of their souls, and their relation to God and eternity. They have the former in common with the rest of mankind—the latter, as peculiar to themselves. But very frequently the outward troubles give occasion to inward and spiritual ones, for they stir up inward questionings and fears as to the soul’s relation to God—fears as to whether the subjects of such troubles are the objects of God’s favour and love, or only the targets of His righteous displeasure. And, indeed, this is the fundamental trial of those in whom the true life of God is—their frequent lack of any distinct evidence of being among the children of God, and, as a result, their fear of being among the reprobates at last—for they think that if they had a sensible assurance of God’s love in Christ, they would find it unspeakably easier to bear many other afflictions they are called to suffer.

The Psalmist was in great distress when he uttered the words, “Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I,” which will form the basis of the following remarks, but he knew from past experience where his safety was to be found, and he puts on record this and other petitions for the direction and encouragement of others who would find themselves in circumstances of trial and sorrow similar to what he experienced. He did not plead for guidance to the

Rock in vain, for he is able to conclude his song with expressions of assured confidence in the favour of God and of resolve to sing praise to the name of the Lord for ever.

1. Our first remark is that even the most highly favoured of God’s people may be at times “overwhelmed” in heart with pungent sorrow. They may be called to realise storm after storm breaking out upon them, and perhaps waves of trouble from almost every possible quarter meeting upon their souls at one and the same moment. Earth and hell, the world, the flesh, and the devil, may appear arrayed for their destruction, and even the Lord Himself may seem for a season as if He were fighting against them. In such circumstances they can join with the Psalmist in saying, “My heart is overwhelmed,” and they will also be ready to add with Jacob, “All these things are against me.” To the eye of sense everything seems to make for their final confusion and perdition, and they fear the very worst for time and eternity. The case, however, is not so hopeless as it appears to be. There is another eye but the eye of sense in the gracious soul, namely, the eye of faith, and although this eye may be dimmed for a time by the mists of unbelief and darkness, yet God has provided means for its cleansing and quickening, and He will enable His poor and afflicted people to see in the light of His infallible Word another rendering of their troubles than they were themselves disposed to give, and a way of deliverance out of all their distresses. The Lord chasteneth in love; He killeth and maketh alive; He casteth down that He may raise up again. The fire purges away the dross. The billows drive the ship nearer and nearer Immanuel’s land.

2. This leads to our second remark—that there is a Rock higher than poor sinners, that is designed for “a shelter” from the storm and “a strong tower” from the enemy. This Rock is none other than God Himself—a covenant God in Jesus Christ. The Psalmist speaks many times of the Lord as his Rock; and the Lord Jesus describes Himself as the Rock upon which He will build His Church. There are at least three thoughts associated with this heavenly Rock throughout the Scriptures—a strong tower to flee to for protection, a foundation to stand upon with security, and a fountain from which “living waters” flow. And is not God in Christ all these things to His people? The very God against whom they have sinned, and whose holy wrath they have justly incurred, has been pleased to reveal Himself as a God of mercy in His Son, and sinners everywhere are invited and encouraged to flee for refuge to this strong tower from all the curses of a broken law, the stings of a guilty conscience, and the pursuit of numberless foes. “God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing unto them their trespasses.” Here is also the foundation upon which the fleeing sinner must build his hope for eternity. Every other foundation but Jesus Christ is a foundation of sand, that sinks utterly beneath his feet

in the day of storm and flood, and he finds no sure footing, no stable support, until—by grace and through faith—he lays his helpless, guilty soul upon the sure, immutable Rock of ages, against which the gates of hell shall never prevail. The Son of God, in His glorious person, finished work, and unsearchable fulness of grace, is the one foundation of righteousness and strength for poor sinners in view of a holy God and an endless eternity. And still further, is not this Rock the fountain from which living waters flow to revive, refresh, and comfort the poor and needy in Zion when ready to perish with weariness and thirst? “The soul of the people,” as we have been trying to show, is sometimes “much discouraged because of the way.” They are ready to give up in despair; but there is a Rock that follows them, and that Rock is Christ. The rock gave streams of water to the children of Israel in the wilderness when they were about to die of thirst. And so it is oftentimes when the poor and needy are ready to perish, the Lord quickens and revives their hearts by communications of His grace through the application of His Word and promises to their fainting souls. They get some new view by the Spirit of the once crucified but now risen and triumphant Redeemer, that gives them a spiritual resurrection, and is as life from the dead.

1. The third thing to which we call attention is the prayer, “Lead me to the Rock.” Remarkable to say that, though the Rock of salvation is brought nigh to us in the Scriptures and in the overtures of the gospel, we are so blind and foolish that we do not naturally see the excellence of this Rock, or make choice of Him as our house of refuge. “The god of this world has blinded the eyes of the children of men lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” We are ready to flee to every other place of hiding rather than to the right one. Unstable and lying refuges are more to our mind and taste than Jesus Christ—”the way, the truth, and the life.” Souls, therefore, under first convictions of sin, need this prayer, “Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I,” for, if such are left to themselves they will never find Christ; they will stumble helplessly on the dark mountains of unbelief and despair; they must be led unto Him by the supernatural power of the Spirit of truth. How manifest this is when even a child of grace who has had much past experience of divine favour and protection needs to put up this petition! The Psalmist knew the Lord as his shelter and strong tower long before he was brought into the circumstances which produced this Psalm. And yet he needed again to pray, “Lead me to the Rock,” as if he had never done so before. He could not find the Rock of his salvation by his own inherent ability. All he could do, and even this, by grace, was to cry mightily to the Lord for His light and power that he might be enabled anew to take shelter in the clefts of the Rock that was higher than he, and powerful to protect him from the blast of the enemy.

We have just to remark, in conclusion, that this ought to be the daily prayer of all to whom the word of salvation is sent—from those who have the least sense of the need of salvation to those who have had long and repeated proofs of a saving interest in Jesus Christ. It is not the lesson of a few days, but of a lifetime, to understand that salvation is of, and in, the Lord alone. We are so ready to seek “the living among the dead,” to dig into our own hearts and frames and feelings, thinking we shall find Christ and salvation there. No doubt Christ must visit the soul by His Word and Spirit, otherwise there is no vital union with Him whatsoever. But the flow of divine life is neither begun nor renewed by looking to the creature, but to the Creator; by looking to the sinner, but to the Saviour; by looking to the stream, but to the Fountain. And oh, it were well if those who are taught their utter poverty and destitution would cleave closely by faith to the living Rock, in whom “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,” that “of his fulness” they may receive, and “grace for grace,” until at length they obtain the final victory over all their foes, and see their divine Redeemer as He is within the gates of that city where sorrow and pain shall be known no more for ever.