The Rock Is Higher

The House of Prayer Everywhere

October 6th, 2021 / Evening Devotion

Bishop Sean Teal, Visionary © Reserved 2021

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God will deliver and defend through the power of prayer. Our deliverance began with a prayer. Every deliverance begins with a prayer. Jesus hangs on The Cross and with blistered and quivering lips blotted by His own blood prays, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

The Psalmist, a man of genuine prayer, feels overwhelmed.  You can be a person of prayer and still feel overtaken by a season. Overwhelmed is the feeling of fainting. It is the picture of being weakened by warfare. It is a word picture that comes from the life of a sailor and the ship on a sea. Anytime strong and angry waves crashed upon the ship and then began to go over the helm of the ship, the ship, the captain and crew would now be considered “over helmed”. “Over helmed” is what you sense when it seems that your circumstances are breaking through into your safe place. Overwhelmed is how you feel when you feel under the pressure of something you can’t control. It is that gnawing feeling that something has the potential to wipe you out. It is having a clear and present danger that is relentless and unyielding. It is to feel that your best is not good enough for the moment or the threat. 

How will we he defended? The Psalmist knows of only one refuge. He has but one true option for his situation. He needs to be led out. He needs an exodus. He needs to be taken to a place of ultimate safety and security. He needs to be preserved. He needs a covering. He needs well-being.

He prays to be led “to the rock that is higher than I”. The “I” is the ego. It is our self identity. It is how we see ourselves. It is purely self-perception. This is what the Psalmist wants to overcome. He wants to have a trust in God that is higher than the trust he would ever have in himself, his gifts, good works, talents or abilities.

The “Rock that is higher” is a place that can only be obtained by the purpose and power of God. The ‘Higher Rock” is such an elevated palace that it takes God to put you there. “Lead me to the rock too high for me to climb by myself, and place me there” is one of the translations I studied.

This is how we fight our battles. We pray. We ascend. We strive for a higher consciousness, awareness and boldness in prayer and The Word.