Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
    and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
    upright and just is he.

• Deuteronomy 32:4

I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

• Psalm 18:1-2

Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

• Matthew 21:44

“No stone born of earth can stand before the living Stone. In Christ, all that the Greeks and the mystics looked for was realized. He is our Rock, our Cornerstone, and our long-awaited Adamant. Christ alone is the unchanging Stone with the power to change everything. And long has the Rock of Ages been among us. As the children of Israel wandered the desert in what seemed to be an aimless pursuit, Moses declared the presence of this Rock … (Deut. 32:4)
“And after a season in the wilderness, David cried out to God on the day of his deliverance … (Ps. 18:1-2)
“The Old Testament Hebrew word used here for rock means ‘the inaccessible refuge.’ The Rock is our strength, our sure footing in a world littered with gravel. Jesus is our stronghold when our enemies want to put us in a stranglehold. The Rock is our rescue, safeguard, and armor of defense. Christ anoints us with the oil of his Spirit and declares his salvation to our detractors.
“In so many ways, we are all refugees on this earth looking for that high, secure, and sacred place. We long for the safety of a realm ruled by untainted justice. Like the Israelites, we have left behind our Egyptian taskmasters, but we have yet to master the enslaving voices that their cruelty imprinted on us. Even so, the Rock accompanied us as we wandered in wildernesses of purpose and preparation, but we knew it not. It is time we acknowledge our brokenness and fall again upon the Rock that we might be mended.”

• Lisa Bevere, Adamant

Ms. Bevere spends the first several pages of her book establishing that “Adamant” from the standpoint of the Old Testament and in Old Testament times refers to a rock, but not any earthly rock.  It was a rock that was “immovable, impervious, and unmoving.”  This “adamant” is mentioned in a variety of ancient cultures and mythologies.  But the rock of our salvation is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

She then establishes that the attributes of God all point to being “adamant,” both defining the term, but also showing how God is like the rock in all the ancient mythologies.

Then, with our modern concept of being adamant, she defines a variety of God’s attributes.  With Jesus within us, we should also be adamant.  I disagree with the extent in which she makes this claim, but there is truth in it.  If God is in us, we have untapped power at our disposal.  We must only have faith.

And the first attribute that Ms. Bevere discusses is “Intimate.”  God is adamant with His intimacy.

Lord, guide me.  Help us through this mini-series to learn more about You, and maybe, as we learn more about You, we can learn more about ourselves.  We can learn how to be more like Jesus and be bold, adamant, in our thoughts, words, and actions in glorifying Your name.  In Thy Name I pray.  Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.