Apr. 2013 Fall 2014 | Page 9

Refuge in the Rock By Jana Letterman G od often communicated with us through parables and metaphors. He must have known for some reason we tend to relate better to such communication. It allows us to compare and contrast, somehow touch the words and become part of them instead of merely reading and digesting them. This is true in the words God chose to describe himself. A few such examples include water of life (John 4:14), bread of life (John 6:35), light of the world (John 8:12) and in nearly 50 instances he was illustrated as a refuge and nearly 70 as a rock. What was God trying to convey to us by using the examples of a rock and a refuge? What was God trying to explain to the Israelites and to those who walked with Jesus? What was God telling David? “Jehovah, is my Rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock in whom I will take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower,” Psalm 18:2. What is he telling us today? In 2014, are people looking for a rock or a refuge? Whether people are actively seeking a refuge could be debated but it’s safe to say we need one. Numbers and statistics prove we live in a broken world full of physical, mental and plain sadistic pain and despair. In the United States our bodies are often riddled with disease. Diseases often attributed to stress, anxiety and heartache. In 2010 the Center for Disease control reported the following