Replies

Christ A Refuge From The Tempest

By Edward Griffin

“And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place) as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.—Isaiah 32:2

This prediction, which was uttered in the days of Ahaz, is thought to have had primary reference to Hezekiah, and to the relief from wicked magistrates which would be experienced in his reign. But in the opinion of the best commentators it had ultimate reference to the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the person of our Redeemer, who is very man as well as God, it is fulfilled that “a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

In a serene day when no wind is up, when no rain is falling, a man may see by the way-side a shelving rock and may pass by it without emotion.

Not so the weary traveler who is fleeing before the rising storm or the beating tempest. In a season of rain or in a land of waters, one may pass by a river with little interest. Not so a traveler in the Arabian deserts, surrounded with burning sands, fainting with heat and parched with thirst. The sight of a stream of water, and especially of “rivers of water,” in such a place, would transport him. In a country covered with wood or pinched with cold, a huge rock might offer its shade unwelcome; but amidst the parched wastes of Arabia, where the weary traveler, exposed all day to the intense heat of a vertical sun, sees not a tree nor a shrub, but only one boundless waste of burning sand,—there a cool retreat beneath the shade of an over-hanging cliff,—there “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land,” would be most welcome.

These observations suggest a principal reason why the Saviour of the world, whose very name ought to be music to every human ear, is treated with such cruel indifference by the greater part of mankind. It is because they do not feel their guilt and misery and need of a Saviour. They are blind to the infinite majesty and holiness and loveliness of God, and to the immense obligations by which they are bound to him; and therefore they do not see the infinite guilt of rebelling against all his commands, all his mercies, all his glories and interests; and therefore they are not pressed down under a sense of their awful condemnation and ruin. Hell is not laid open before them as their proper punishment. They do not stand amazed at the patience which has kept them out of it so long. They do not see themselves to be utterly ruined, and utterly helpless and hopeless without a Saviour. And therefore his precious Gospel, which ought to fill the world with wonder arid delight, with gratitude and praise, is cast aside as an idle tale, and the name of Jesus is treated with the most dreadful indifference.

But let a man be thoroughly convicted of sin; let him see himself covered with pollution from the head to the foot; let him stand in sight of the eternal judgment, and apprehend that divine justice has no choice but to crush him into everlasting torment; let him see himself just about to receive the descending wrath of God with the weight of a thousand worlds— in that awful moment let him obtain a glimpse of Jesus, who came to ” save his people from their sins;” let him lift his trembling eye to a God reconciled in Christ and smiling upon him— I ask that man, “What” now “think” you “of Christ?” O, says he,—but language fails. A sacred reverence settles upon his countenance; his uplifted eye speaks unutterable things. I see it glisten,—I see it weep. O, says he.—His hands are clinched and forcibly raised to his breast. The opening of the last judgment could not add solemnity to a single feature. O the height and the depth, the length and the breadth of the love of Christ! Where has this glorious mystery lain hid that I have never seen it before? To such an eye how precious does the Saviour appear as the great medium through which the love of God has come down to men,—as the Word by which all the wonders of the eternal Mind are expressed,—as the great Prophet who has brought down all the instructions that have blessed the world from the days of Eden,—as the Priest whose atonement and intercession have astonished heaven and earth,—as the King who has governed the world from the beginning, and has always protected and provided for his people, and has all their interests in his hands, and all the treasures of the universe to impart. To one who is indifferent to the blessedness of communion with God and of conformity to him, there appears no form or comeliness in Christ why he should desire him. But to one who feels an insatiable eagerness to rise from this dark world to a knowledge of all the grand and interesting things which are taking place in the kingdom of God,—who longs to be united to all holy beings, and to share in their immortal friendship and blessedness and honors,—who has no desire so great as to be good and conformed to the God he loves; to such a one Jesus must appear exceedingly precious as the one appointed to open the universe to view, to pour all its light upon the eye, and to exalt the soul to all its purity, to all its dignity, to all its happiness.”……..

…………………..

OH Father in Heaven,

I ask that you would have Mercy on souls, and give them the knowledge of their great need for Jesus, and lead them in the Way Everlasting.

Without you, no one can come to Jesus. Without Jesus, no one can come to you.

Draw them LORD, so that they might be saved.

Let them see the hideous truth of sin in them so they know they have a need they can’t provide.

Help them to cry out to you for Salvation.

Oh LORD, rescue the perishing.

You are our shield and exceeding great Reward.

I praise your Name forevermore.

……………………..

Psa 18:31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?

Psa 28:1 …. Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

Psa 31:2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defense to save me.

Psa 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

Psa 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Psa 62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved.
Psa 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Psa 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
………………………………………….

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/h/shelterr.htm

There is a Rock in a weary land,
Its shadow falls on the burning sand,
Inviting pilgrims as they pass,
To seek a shade in the wilderness.
Then why will ye die?
O why will ye die?
When the sheltering Rock is so near by,
O why will ye die?

There is a Well in a desert plain,
Its waters call with entreating strain,
“Ho, every thirsting, sin sick soul,
Come, freely drink, and thou shalt be whole.”
Then why will ye die?
O why will ye die?
When the living Well is so near by,
O why will ye die?

A great fold stands with its portals wide,
The sheep astray on the mountain side;
The Shepherd climbs o’er mountains steep;
He’s searching now for His wandering sheep.
Then why will ye die?
O why will ye die?
When the Shepherd’s fold is so near by,
O why will ye die?

There is a cross where the Savior died;
His blood flowed out in a crimson tide,
A sacrifice for sins of men,
And free to all who will enter in.
Then why will ye die?
O why will ye die?
When the crimson cross is so near by,
O why will ye die?

–William E. Penn, 1887

Amen to your Wonderful Prayer that is Filled with the Love of Jesus Christ, and may Fallen Sinners be Directed Here by our King to Read your Scriptural Presentations, and be Saved. May it be So, our Loving God of All Grace. We Pray for the Salvation of Many Souls, to Thy Praise. We Worship You, and Thank You for Your Sovereign Grace. Draw the Lost to our Dear Savior, Your Son. Please Grant Repentance to the Perishing Ones, Holy King. Thank You for Your Mercies and Your Great Love.

Be Exalted Forever, our Abba, for Endless Ages, Without End. For His Majesty's Excellent Glory, we Pray in Jesus' Name, amen.

All that Thrills my Soul {Lyrics and Composer: Thoro Harris, 1931}

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus,
By His presence all divine?
True and tender, pure and precious,
O how blest to call Him mine!