Devotionals for the Heart: God is our Eternal Rock and True Foundation

Rocks, Stones, Pebbles and the God who never changes!
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” –1 Samuel 2:2 (NLT)

Have you ever dug in the dirt to create a garden or to build a structure?

Where I live the soil is full of rocks. Whenever you want to dig in the ground, you are guaranteed to find rocks of all sizes—from gravel-sized pebbles to enormous boulders.

The fascinating thing to me is that often I dig out the soil, remove the rocks to plant the flowers or bushes, then place other rocks back around whatever it was I had planted either for decoration, for drainage, or to distinguish the garden from the lawn. The rocks that are a nuisance in one spot might be necessary somewhere else. The only difference is the purpose of the rock.

God created the world and it is full of stones and rocks. They are visual and plentiful and maybe that’s why they show up so often in scripture. Many times, especially in the Psalms, God is referred to as a rock of safety or refuge (Psalm 46:1). He is the rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1). It’s easy to imagine that when an army is being pursued, a group of large stones make a useful place of safety, a place to regroup and rest. And if the stones are on a mountain or a high place, they are a vantage point to watch for danger.

Stones were used to build memorials and altars, places of remembrance and worship. The Lord had Joshua and the people pick up stones from the middle of the Jordan River where they had crossed into the Promised Land, then they used those stones to build a memorial (Joshua 4:9). The stones would serve as a reminder of the safety He provided as they took possession of the land.

The Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments, carved into stone by God’s own hand (Exodus 31:18). Because of a rock’s hardness and nature, once a rock has been altered, it will never be the same as it was before. One of those commandments was not to create idols of stone or wood or metal to worship. The Israelites—and believers today—are to worship only the Creator, never the creation or anything we’ve made.

Rocks are foundations, steady and unchanging, the perfect place to build a house. Jesus reminded all of us that when we build our houses on unstable ground, there is a chance they will not stand the storm (Matthew 7:26-27). He wants us to build our dwelling places—our lives—on Him and the truth only He can give.

The most well-known of all the stones in the Bible might be the one that was rolled away from Jesus’s tomb (Luke 24:2). The stone was large, heavy, and a perfect symbol of all the obstacles that were between us and God before His death and resurrection. Through that act, Jesus became the cornerstone and foundation of the spiritual temple God is building on the earth—the Church, which includes each of us as living stones. We are to share in the building of His kingdom here, until He returns. And then, when the new heavens and new earth are created, the Holy City will shine in brilliance with gold and gemstones (Revelation 21:11). Just imagine how beautiful those rocks will be!

So next time you kick a rock out of your path, pick a pebble out of your shoe or drive down a gravel road, remember God’s faithfulness and salvation. God loves you and He doesn’t want you to forget it!

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, be my Rock today. Remind me that You are a sure foundation in a world that shifts and changes. Give me opportunities to share Your love and truth with those around me, to help them know the safety and peace that only You can give. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Upon This Rock” by Allison Durham Speer. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume.

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two college-age children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting. 

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Connect with Glynis:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckerglynis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlynisBecker7