Could it be that the darkest places in our lives are when God puts us in the cleft of the rock.
Then He passes by to do the work that needs to be done.
When we come out of the cleft we see how ‘abundantly above’ He answered our prayers
working all things together in a way so ‘much higher’ than our thoughts?
Yes, the cleft is a hard place, it is rock.
It is dark.
It is a dead end place we cannot see what is ahead.
It is also a place of shelter.
A place of refuge,
A place of safety,
A place of protection.
It is a place by God.
It is a place whose foundation is a rock.
It is a place where God’s hand supports my leaning weak frame.
It is the center of God’s will.
And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
And he (God) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
And he (Moses) said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
And he (Moses) said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
And he (God) said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.
And he (God) said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:12-23
Close To Him
God never would send you the darkness,
If He felt you could bear the light;
But you would not cling to His guiding hand
If the way were always bright;
And you would not care to walk by faith
Could you always walk by sight.
So He sends you the blinding darkness,
And the furnace of sevenfold heat;
‘Tis the only way, believe me,
To keep you close to His feet;
For ’tis always so easy to wander
When our lives are glad and sweet.
Then nestle your hand in your Father’s,
And sing, if you can, as you go;
Your song may cheer someone behind you
Whose courage is sinking low.
Let us ‘Walk in Grace’ together
for there is ‘joy in the journey and good times in the going’.
(picture – http://acts2gathering.com/sos-final/rock-cleft )
from the archives, June, 2011 link has been broken.