The Rock That Is Higher Than I

May 1, 2017

The Rock That Is Higher Than I

From the end of the earth I call to you,

    when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

    that is higher than I;

Psalm 61:2

The acronym, LAW, is my shorthand reminder for the trilogy of needs that is common to all people: Love, Acceptance, and Worth. The core value in our journey to make the Life in Christ our Way of Life is our belief that God’s love for us in Christ Jesus is the fulfillment of all three of these needs.

When I Googled “Meaning of Life” this morning I got sixty million references in response. I searched ‘The Meaning of Life” on Amazon and found over one hundred twenty thousand references. Even so, I don’t think most people spend a lot of time pondering the meaning of their lives. However, I believe subconsciously, it is our quest for self-worth, a sense that our life matters, that shapes our efforts to fulfill our needs for love and acceptance.

We all would do well to elevate our quest for meaning to front and center, so we can keep our quest on the right track. For the psalmist, the right track was, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2b). The psalmist knew that the true meaning of life would be found in something greater than himself. However, living for something greater than ourselves can take many forms, such as, living to build something that will outlast our mortal lives. While such pursuits can be noble and valuable, the psalmist set his sights higher. He was convinced that the true meaning of life was to be found living in the presence of God: “Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings” (Psalm 61:4). I invite you to set aside time to ponder the question: How do I define the meaning of my life?

I like the prose of verse 2b, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” That phrase resonates within me because I often listen to a praise song that incorporates this verse (Lead Me to the Rock, Kent Henry, My Refuge). However, my favorite way to express my understanding of the meaning of my life is in the prayer of an unknown saint:

O Lord, how excellent is your name in all the earth;

I worship you. With all angels and saints I adore you.

I acknowledge you to be my Creator and my God.

I render to you the reverence of my being and my life.

I am not my own. I am yours.

By creation and redemption I am yours.

I will devote myself to your service this day and forever.

O Lord, grant grace for this I pray

in the name of my Savior, Christ Jesus.

Amen

(Emphasis Mine)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.