"Just a Rock"

Just a rock here on the ground,

Placed for a spot to sleep,

Above it was a ladder,

High and bright and steep.

And there a visitation,

Of holy ones and all,

And God would raise a nation,

Based on this one man’s call.

Just a rock here on the ground,

Waiting for a sling,

And now a shepherd someone found,

Goes to battle for a king.

And with God His defender,

Brings a giant down,

And with it he will render,

A victory all around.

Just a rock here on the ground,

That they picked up to throw,

But Jesus squatted and looked down,

And was about to show.

Wrote with His finger in the sand,

Then said, just take your shot,

Claim no sin and there you stand,

And then they dropped the rock.

Just a rock here on the ground,

But hear the Good Lord say,

It’s possible you’ll hear the sound,

Just listen where they lay.

Rocks without an arm to raise,

Or mouth to say a thing,

But all at once they start to praise,

And loudly dance and sing.

Just a rock here on the ground,

By God was rolled away,

In the tomb they laid Him down,

But then He did not stay.

By the Holy Spirit’s power,

Just as the promise said,

At the crucial time and hour,

Christ rose up from the dead.

Just a rock here on the ground,

But something God will use,

Just listen you may hear the sound,

His praises, no excuse.

“He replied, ‘If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers…” (Luke 19:40, NLT)

Praising the Lord is our identity and destiny. it’s what we will do forever. When one is Spirit-filled they want to praise the Lord, not because they ought to but because their hearts are filled with gratitude and they want to. Religious people are often offended when Spirit-filled people praise the Lord. They don’t like it ‘cause they can’t control it. And religion is all about controlling others to accomplish a religious agenda. But not so when all you care about is a relationship with the Lord. Jesus’ disciples used the ancient words of scripture to praise Jesus, and hailed Him as Messiah, the One who comes in the name of the Lord! When the Pharisees protested, Jesus made a remarkable statement. He said if these disciples of mine kept silent, the rocks on the side of the road would cry out in praise. Wow. Let’s get our praise on, so some rock doesn’t have to do what we should be doing!

Lord, teach us to live thankfully and give You praise, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, timcox.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.