OUR DAILY BREAD                    Monday, April 3, 1995
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READ:  Psalm 62

               OUR ROCK AND OUR REFUGE

      "In God is my salvation and my glory; the
     rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

                                -- Psalm 62:7

A century ago an ocean liner sank off the southwest
coast of England, taking many people down with it.  A
16-year-old galley boy, who was tossed up along the
rugged shore, survived by clinging to a rock all night
long.  When he was finally rescued, he was asked,
"Didn't you shake as you were clinging all night to
that rock?"  The boy replied, "Yes, of course.  But
the rock never shook once."

The ancient Israelites learned from their experiences
in the desert that rocks were more than masses of
stone.  A rock could serve as shelter from a sudden
storm.   It could provide a cool shadow from oppressive
heat.  It was a stronghold and a place of safety from
enemies (Ps. 61:2-3; 62:1-2; Isa. 32:2).  That's why
it meant so much when David called the Lord "my rock
and my salvation" (Ps. 62:6) and "my strength, and my
refuge" (V. 7).  David knew firsthand how important
a rock could be in times of trouble.

Just as the Hebrews found the rock of their salvation
in the Lord who brought them up out of Egypt, so we
find our rock of salvation in the One who through His
Son delivered us from bondage to sin.  When storms of
trouble threaten to overwhelm us, we can cling to Him
in faith, thankful that our Rock is our unshakable
refuge.
                                -- Vernon C. Grounds

      O safe to the Rock that is higher than I
   My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
    So sinful, so weary -- Thine, Thine would I be;
     Thou blest "Rock of Ages," I'm hiding in Thee.

                                -- Cushing

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          THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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   You may tremble on the rock of ages,
but the rock will never tremble under you.
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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:   1 Kings 14-16

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Our Daily Bread, Copyright 1995, used by permission of Radio Bible Class,
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Thanks to Larry Holder (lholder@utm.edu) for the email transcript of 
Our Daily Bread, having originated from his distribution to the 
Conservative Christian Discussion List. This copy was written permission 
from RBC.

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