The Choice is Yours
The Rock of Gibraltar
By: Jack Wyman
Sailors have gazed upon it in wonder for centuries.
It looms in breathtaking power and majesty, rising 1,400 feet above the sea as one of the most famous landmarks on earth. They called it the Pillar of Hercules. It has stood, unmoved and unchanged, for millennia.
Great empires have risen and fallen within its view. The Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Spaniards, and the British have each taken their turn in civilizational dominance, only to eventually meet with defeat and demise.
The Rock has remained unshakable, guarding the strait between Europe and Africa. It is the emblem of endurance, stability, and strength.
It is not surprising that in 1896 the Prudential Insurance Company adopted the Rock as its symbol. In the 1970s, Prudential announced one of the most famous slogans in advertising history: “Get a Piece of the Rock.” Intended to evoke trust, strength, and security, the slogan reflected the characteristics of the Rock.
The Rock of Gibraltar means one thing, above all else—permanence.
In a world of turmoil and uncertainty, we seek the comfort and assurance of a lasting and unchanging hope. The recent government shutdown reminds us of our divisions and the failures of our politics and politicians.
On the eve of the 250th anniversary of America’s freedom, our government itself seems rudderless and dysfunctional. Most voters have no confidence in either party. Many are cynical about promises, suspicious of elections, and dismissive of voting.
Ideas, policies, and platforms are here today and gone tomorrow. Economic woes remind us that wealth cannot save us; global crises remind us that peace is elusive, and hate and violence remind us that man is fallen.
“The earth reels like a drunkard,” says the prophet Isaiah, “it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again” (Isaiah 24:20)
From every sober perspective, from every angle of human struggle and confusion and angst, judgment seems upon us. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3).
We can choose. We can bemoan our times, blame those who disagree with us, proclaim the end of the world, love having enemies, rage against change, embrace conspiracies, and give up all hope.
Or, we can renew our faith, count our blessings, show a little more kindness, stand for what’s right, and trust a known God for an unknown future. We all have a choice. We can choose to be fearfully miserable or hopefully expectant. We can look to God or give in to the devil.
Christians, of all people, have no excuse to make the wrong choice. You and I have everything to live for, hope for, and to be thankful for. Why? Because in these turbulent times, God Almighty stands unchanged and unchangeable. And that makes all the difference in the world.
The Rock? You bet! Permanence amidst the sea of confusion. God is unchanging in his love for you, the protection of his Church, and the integrity of his word. Unchanging and unending.
“The Lord is my rock,” writes David, “and my fortress and my deliverer” (Psalm 18:2). Is he yours? “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4, emphasis added). Do you trust him? Do your opinions and thoughts, and words reflect that trust? Or do you go to bed fearful and wake up angry?
Gibraltar will someday crumble, but God our Rock is forever. We forget that at the cost of our own happiness. “The permanence of God’s character,” said theologian A.W. Pink, “guarantees the fulfillment of His promises.”
In these difficult days, Jesus whispers to the Christian, “peace, be still.” But our Lord is not only the whisperer of our peace. He is also the champion and warrior of our faith. “Upon this rock,” declares Jesus, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
The devil can hit us with his best shot. He can attack the Church with every ounce of demonic craftiness and subtlety he and his minions can muster but the Church of Jesus Christ will be forever triumphant over all its foes. Nothing will defeat His Church, nothing can. In his beautiful hymnodic tribute to the Church, Samual John Stone wrote:
“Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace forevermore; till, with the vision glorious, her longing eyes are blest, and the great Church victorious shall be the Church at rest.”
The Church is built upon the Rock and that Rock is Jesus Christ. There is no greater, more powerful, or eternal foundation that can be laid (I Corinthians 3:11). Man’s institutions will weaken and dissolve, his best efforts as dust in the wind. The Church of Jesus Christ, his holy and spotless Bride, shall be delivered through every strife and attack.
In the Middle East, there are times and places when the dry dessert blooms in vibrant color. For a brief season, flowers cover the sand, clothing the dessert in beauty. Soon the scorching sun returns and the flowers and grass fade away. The prophet Isaiah may have been thinking of this when he wrote:
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever” (Isaiah 40:).
The Word of God—its truth, beauty, promises, and wisdom—shall never pass away. It shall be for every generation a light and a lamp to the weary and lonely traveler through the life of this lost and struggling world. The Bible shall always be the way of salvation, the hope of the despondent, the knowledge of the seeker, and the comfort of the grieving.
In a world of fading dreams, passing away until all things are made new, God remains our unchanging God, our undying Friend, and our eternal Father, strong to save. He is the Rock of our salvation, now and for all eternity.
To order Jack Wyman’s book, “Everything Else: Stories of Life, Faith and Our World”, go to amazon.com, Christian Book Distributors or barnesandnoble.com. It is also available on Kindle and eBooks.
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