God as our Refuge Part 4
God as our Rock
Throughout Scripture, God is frequently described as being our Refuge. The Bible uses different words to convey this idea. In this blog series I have covered a general description of God as our refuge, and then what it means for God as our Refuge to be our Hiding Place and Fortress. In this blog I am going to talk about God being our Rock. I am going to write more than one blog on this subject as it is so important!
At 4:31 am on January 17, 1994, I was jolted awake from sleep at my parent’s house by a 6.7 magnitude earthquake centered in Northridge, California. That is just a few miles from where I was sleeping. I was used to experiencing earthquakes, but nothing of that magnitude. It was terrifying. I thought the world was coming to an end. After the aftershocks stopped, and damage was assessed throughout the city, almost every house at least had bad cracks and collapsed chimneys. There was far worse damage in places around the city- such as several freeway overpasses and the Northridge mall collapsing. My parent’s house survived unscathed. There was not even a crack. The next door neighbor had cracks. My parents did not.
More than 15 years earlier, my parents bought a 4 acre lot on a lovely hillside just outside the city of Los Angeles. They planned to build their dream house. However, they ran into a big problem. During the excavations to build, they found out that the lot was a hillside of solid rock. They had to dynamite in order to clear the rock enough to lay the foundation for the house. For the next 15 years, that house built upon the rock survived droughts, floods, fires, strong winds, wild animals and mild earthquakes. But the largest test of its strength was the earthquake on 1/17/94. The house on the rock stood firm. I experienced in a dramatic way the physical reality that Jesus used to picture a spiritual reality.
Matthew 7:24-27, which is a Sunday school song I sang as a child, says: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.”
When we build our lives upon the words of the Bible and live them out, we will be able to stand firm in the storms of life, just like my parent’s house, because we are standing on the Rock. There are many Scriptures that tell us that God is our Rock. Here are just a few:
Psalm 18:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Isaiah 26:4 “Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.”
Psalm 62:5-7 “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.”
Psalm 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; and He set my feet upon a rock, making my footsteps firm. And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”
What does it mean to have God as our Rock?
Consider the imagery God invokes in saying that He is our Rock. What do we think of when we think of big rocks? We think of something that is immutable (unchanging), immovable, impregnable, powerful, solid, reliable and stable. You will not sink in the storms if you are standing on a rock. Think of my parents’ house shaking in the earthquake but standing firm. That is us believers when we stand on God’s word and His character as revealed in God’s word. Life’s trials will shake us, but we can stand unscathed. I want to focus on one attribute about God that is crucial to Him being our Rock. That is God’s immutability. That means that He never changes. How do we know He is unchanging? Through His revelation of Himself in the Bible, and in the fact that He has kept His promises throughout the history of the world.
Why does God’s unchanging nature help us stand firm? It is actually essential for us to stand firm. We live in a world where things change all the time, and popular and acceptable ideas change constantly. It is bewildering, frustrating, and hopeless. We can be blown here and there, and never rooted anywhere if we do not have a rock of truth to stand on. People change their affections and intentions and opinions. But God teaches us in the Bible that He never changes. He has been the same in character since the beginning of time and will continue to be unchanging throughout eternity. His affections, intentions, will, and moral law never change.
In Malachi 3:6 “For I, the Lord do not change;”
In Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
Psalm 102:25-27 “Of old You didst found the earth; and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them, and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.
What does this really mean for us? The God we read about in the Scriptures that worked with power for His people, is the same God today. The God who spoke the world into existence is the same God today. The God who freed the Jews from Egyptian slavery, parted the Red Sea, provided food and water in the desert for the Jews for 40 years, and gave them the victory over the people in the promised land as He promised, is the same God today. The God who calmed the Sea of Galilee with a word is our same God today. The God who took the evil plans of Joseph’s brothers who sold him into slavery, and worked them into great good, is our same God today. The God who showed compassion and forgiveness over and over again to the Israelites, is our God today. The God who sent His only son to be a sacrifice for our sins on the cross is the same God we worship today. The God who rose from the dead achieving victory over death is our God today.
Here is a song I like about God never changing: Always the Same - The Hamilton Family
If God’s character does not change, what He says is also permanent. Any promises He makes will stand forever, and we can trust Him to fulfill them. He doesn’t change His mind. Those He chooses to save are secure in His love and grace. His will be fulfilled no matter what man does.
Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Psalm 119:89 “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”
Matthew 24:35 Jesus says: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
Matthew 5:17-18 Jesus says: Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law until all is accomplished.”
How can we learn to trust that God’s promises will be fulfilled? We today in 2026 have a huge advantage over the people in the Bible. We can look back over thousands of years of history and see how God kept His word. Not only did He keep His promises in His word, but He preserved His word to be the same today as it was when written. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovery shows us that the words of Scripture we have today are the same as the ancient scrolls. Our God wants us to have steadfast trust and hope in Him because of His unchanging nature and unchanging Word. But we can’t have that hope and be standing firm on Him as our rock unless we know His word very well. If you don’t know His promises and His character, you cannot stand firm on the rock of God.
Here is a song about standing on the rock of God’s promises: Standing on the Promises
Standing on the God as our Rock means not just trusting him, but obeying Him. In the passage from Matthew 7 I quoted above, Jesus says the person who hears God’s words and acts upon them will be like a house built on a rock. Acting upon God’s word requires us to know His word, and then obey His word. Throughout Scripture we see God showing us two paths: one of obedience and blessing or one of sin and destruction. That obedience to God’s word allows us to know and experience the blessings of the promises God gives to us.
Psalm 1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he prospers. The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”
Psalm 119:129-130 “Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul observes them. The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
What are practical ways that we can stand on God as our Rock?
1. Regularly read, study, meditate and memorize God’s word so that we can know God, and know His character and His commandments. If we don’t do this, we will not have the resources to take hold of God as our Rock. We will be floundering, adrift and sinking in the storms of life.
2. Obey His commandments.
3. Trust His promises and character regardless of how we feel or what our circumstances are. We need to discipline our minds to be focused on what God has said rather than on what our emotions say or the world around us says. Emotions are not truth. They can easily lead us to despair, deception, discouragement, disobedience and doubt. When we feel ourselves slipping into the miry clay of despair and doubt, we need to pick a Scripture to focus on and meditate on. During the devastating trial my family has been going through over the last few years, I frequently look at a list of verses I made to focus on when my mind is full of doubts, fears, anger, discouragement and despair. I have personally experienced God being my rock through His word in times of distress in this trial as well as all others. It is also so encouraging to bring to mind the verses I have memorized through the years. An incredible example of relying on God’s word in challenging trials is Joni Eareckson Tada, who is a quadriplegic and a champion of the faith. Here is a video of her talking about believing and standing on God’s promises in depression, and not letting emotions rule us: Depression | Joni Eareckson Tada Shares Her Thoughts About Depression
Here is another song that expresses the beauty of trusting and obeying: Trust and Obey | Songs and Everlasting Joy
Verses to memorize in response to this blog: Isaiah 40:8; Isaiah 26:3-4
In my next blog, I will walk you through the greatest evidence in history of God’s unchanging word and love: the path of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. This will help us have confidence in God and His word.
Email me with comments or questions at Candice_anastasi@hotmail.com