From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalm 61:2
David cried out to God when he felt afraid. Yes, big bad David, the giant killer, felt overwhelmed at times, but He took comfort in something much bigger than himself.
As strange as it might seem, I totally get what David is saying here; been there, done that. Many years ago, I had my own secret place that no one but God and I knew about. It was my own rock that is higher than I.
Sometime during my college years, I was walking along the Chagrin River in a park just east of Cleveland, Ohio when I came upon an interesting geological formation. A huge rock, maybe 25 feet high and at least that much wide, had broken off from the cliff face behind it. A space ranging from 3-6 feet was behind it. Front and backsides of the enclosure went straight up, giving the impression of a well-lit cave. I fell in love with the place as soon as I found it and since it was really hard to see that it was anything special, few would ever find it. I scooped up candy wrappers and cigarette butts from the dirt floor so that I could pretend that no one else in the world knew about it, and I gave it a name: “Castle Rock.”
It was really peaceful there. I could be alone with my God and just think and pray. At the end of summer, just before both my junior and senior years began, I was really stressed. College had become progressively more challenging and I was afraid that I wasn’t going to make it. I was overwhelmed, so I would go up to Castle Rock (I even took lunch once) to cry out to God and find peace.
The last time I visited there was almost 50 years ago. If I went back there now, I know I’d find it again (assuming my knees would hold up on the trail). That monolith isn’t going anywhere and that’s why I felt so secure hiding behind it.
In the years that followed, I never found any other place that was quite as special, but I’ve had the same feeling of tranquility many times since then. Now, I just take shelter in Jesus. He’s my Rock that is Higher than I.
July 7
