Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. (Ps. 95:1)

I vividly remember Wednesday morning chapel services when I attended Our Redeemer Lutheran School in Dallas. Most often we used the order of Matins, and we would sing words based on the passage above in the Venite. God is the Rock of our salvation! This imagery is throughout the Old Testament.

When Jacob was blessing his sons, he came to Joseph and referred to God as a Rock, calling him “…the Mighty One of Jacob, … the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.” (Genesis 49:24)

When Moses stood on the brink of the Promised Land, he offered a song of praise, and said: “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)

David gathered five smooth stones from the brook as he went forth to do battle with Goliath.  And years later, when He was King David, He spoke of God this way: “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. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior.” 2 Samuel 22:2-3

All through Isaiah we find references to God as the Rock, such as: Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal (Isaiah 26:4).

God was thought of as a ROCK because He is steadfast and firm. It is little wonder, then, that when our Lord Jesus appeared on the scene, he was called the ROCK! He is the Chief Cornerstone, the rock of our salvation. He is strong and mighty to save. Jesus is the Rock!

One Easter years ago at Grace, as people arrived to worship they were given a rock like the one in the picture, with a cross engraved on it. That was risky handing them out at the beginning, but thankfully no one threw one at me during the service. I gave everyone those rocks as reminders of Jesus being the rock of our salvation. He is the Son of God who laid aside His power as God to come down here as one of us, live among us, go through everything we go through, and do it all without sin. He then offered His perfect life on a different kind of altar – the cross. The Rock of your salvation let Himself be sacrificed to pay for your sin.

But on that Easter, I wanted them to remember another rock mentioned in the Gospels. After Jesus died, we are told that Joseph of Arimathea secured permission to take His body from the cross and bury Him.

Matthew 27:59-60 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

That should have been the end. That was how life ended. With a burial. And Jesus had declared on Friday, “It is finished.” The price for sin had been paid by Jesus, the Rock of your salvation. It is finished. The stone sealed the tomb. That was it. But wait … there’s more. Jesus rocked the world — the stone was rolled away! Death could not hold Him. He burst from the tomb to announce life everlasting for all who believe in Him.

May you always remember the Rock of your Salvation and how He rocked the world for you!