Modern Psalms: Lead Me to the Rock

“Hear my cry, O God; Listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth I call to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and weak; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [a rock that is too high to reach without Your help]. For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” (Psalm 61:1-4, AMP)

Dear Lord,

Hear the cry of your people. Help us as we navigate a dark, hopeless world. Remind us of the God we serve and your goodness. Remind us that You hold everything in Your hand and that You cannot be overcome, overwhelmed, or weakened by the comings and goings of this world. Nothing surprises You or catches You off guard. Everything– even the worries and tragedies we go through and see around us– has been ordained and sovereignly ordered by You. There is nothing that happens outside of Your knowledge and you use everything according to Your will; you work it altogether to accomplish Your purposes, which cannot fail us or leave us without You and Your Spirit.

In Proverbs 25, it says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search out a matter.” Thank you, that we get to see Your glory, even in the things we don’t understand. You are wonderful, even when we can’t see how wonderful You are because we cannot fathom all of Your workings. Even in your deepest mysteries, You are awesome. Even in our unanswered questions, You are sovereign and good.

So teach us, Lord. Teach us to be content in the not-knowing. Show us how to be grateful in the moments where we are overwhelmed by not having any of the answers. Help us to give the great mysteries in our lives over to You, knowing that you know better than we do. For we are easily stressed and devastated. We can be so weakened by our emotions and our uncertainty. 

But You are a rock. You are a strong tower. You are a shelter and a refuge from the evil that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy our joy and faith. Strengthen our belief and help us to remember that if we stand in Your grace, we are safe. When our lives beat around us like unrelenting waves in a storm, lead us by Your Spirit and draw us unto Yourself. You are the rock that is higher than us. You are the God that is out of reach without Your help to reach You.

So we ask you to draw us to You. Bring us ever-nearer in your presence. Lift us above the things that threaten to take hold of us. Help us to put our eyes on You and to allow You to lead us. Help us to follow You joyfully. 

Teach us to see your shelter and your refuge as a place to remain. May we never depart from it in order to hold on to our carnal, momentary worries, even though they seem like life and death. Remind us that You always have the final word. That we do not need to seek revenge for the ones that have wronged us. That belongs solely to You. No matter how big a problem seems and how small and insignificant we are in comparison, You will never be defeated.

Help us to have peace because of that fact. That whatever should happen to us, Your mysterious glories are still being done. Your wondrous plans will never be torn down or destroyed. You are our peace and are faithful to those who follow You. 

Let us dwell in the kingdom You are building forever. Let us rely on You as Your children. Let us trust You as our strong tower. Thank you for making a place for us and for calming our fears. Thank you for using our weakness to Your strengths. Thank you for showing Your glory through our struggles. Thank you for sending your Son to die for us, and for making that sacrifice so we could dwell with You forever because of that grace.

Whatever worries we have today, I pray that you would soothe them. Lead us with Your hand into Your peace. Hold us in Your hand and help us to not question your mysteries and the things you have concealed from us. Let it be a joy to us to seek You out and search You. Help us to be contented, even when we don’t understand what You’re doing.

Thank you, for everything you have done, are doing, and will ever do. Thank you for being a good God who cares for us, even in our flesh and our impatience. 

Thank you for being a loving Father and the best Friend we can have.

In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen