365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 148: The Stone of Israel

The Stone of Israel

"The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)." (Genesis 49:24 NKJV)

"Careful! I've put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion, a stone you can't get around. But the stone is me! If you're looking for me, you'll find me on the way, not in the way." (Romans 9:33 MSG)

I had a stone stuck in the treads of one of my walking shoes the other morning. It was only a tiny thing, but every time I took a step, I felt its presence. It distracted me and made me feel as though my stride was off. My walk was a lot more productive once I dislodged what turned out to be just a little pebble.

Maybe you're dealing with a distracting stone just now, and maybe it's a lot bigger than a pebble. And maybe it's not just stuck, symbolically, in your shoe but is actually blocking the road ahead of you so it's all you can see, with no way around it. 

In her heart-wrenching but hope-filled book, "When I Lay My Isaac Down," author Carol Kent tells the story of having to surrender her "Isaac"—her son—to a future she would never have dreamed for him in her worst nightmares. 

This is a story of choosing to pursue God in the middle of a journey that might never arrive at a happy ending this side of heaven. This is a story of even-though faith. This is a story that Carol continued to write about in two subsequent books, including "Between a Rock and a Grace Place," which begins, in part, with this perspective-shifting revelation:

"It has now been more than a decade ago, right in the middle of my life, that I ran into a huge boulder—the likes of which I had never encountered on my lifelong walk with God. It could have been my stopping place—the point at which I lost not only some of my most cherished dreams but also my faith, my joy, my purpose, and my passion to go on. Instead, I found out that the Rock in my path represented not an obstacle but an opportunity to encounter the living God in surprising, sometimes astonishing ways. As I have learned to press into the Rock in the middle of my hard places, I have discovered that I am actually in a position of safety, refuge, and grace. On the road that is your life right now, you can find a new way of thinking about your circumstances, as well as an astonishing experience of grace tailor-made just for you."

Oh, my friends, if you're staring down a stone in your path today, how I pray you'll hear the voice of God speaking to your mind and heart:

"Dear one, I am the Stone. I am not in the way; I am the Way. Don't look past Me; look at Me. I will get you where I want you to go, but for today, I am Grace for where you are."