Jehovah Sali, The Lord My Rock

My ROCK and my redeemer; my ROCK and my refuge; The ROCK of Ages; The ROCK of my salvation…

Jehovah Sali is His name, The Lord, My Rock.

One of my favorite names of God is revealed in scripture by King David in Psalm 18:1-2 (NKJV):

“I will love You, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock (Jehovah Sali) and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Jehovah Sali, The Lord our Rock, is a name of God that offers us great assurance regarding the dependability of our God. The passage in Psalm 18 offers a myriad of names of God, but this one stands out to me personally because God constantly affirms His unmovable, impenetrable, ever consistent status in my life, and especially in this season of my life. I’m sure you can relate and offer this same testimony also.

Other places in scripture offer unique illustrations to the imagery and metaphor of a rock in connection to God as our Rock.

David not only demonstrates familiarity with Jehovah Sali in Psalm 18, but he also literally uses rocks in his victorious battle with Goliath to slay the giant (see 1 Samuel 17:41-52). I believe the five stones he used are symbolic of how we too will need to use The Rock so we may stand firm when faced with adversity.

Throughout the Old Testament, we find numerous accounts of the Children of Israel using rocks (stones) to memorialize amazing acts of God. One example involves how the Children of Israel all crossed the Jordan River on dry land. God caused the waters of the Jordan to cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, right after they all safely passed over the Jordan River (see Joshua 4:1-7). The Lord instructed them to take rocks and memorialize such events that would later be told to future generations. By just looking at a physical rock, it would jog their memory of particular times in history when they saw the mighty power of God displayed in miraculous ways.

In 1 Peter 2:4-8 (NLT), we see Jesus made known as our Rock - our Cornerstone:

“You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, ‘I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.’ Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ And, ‘He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.”

Just as the cornerstone is key to the foundational structure and support of any building, so is our reliance upon Jesus to ensure we are building lives rooted and anchored in Him. All other ground is sinking sand.

As we cling to Jehovah Sali, let us be comforted in four prevailing characteristics He offers us as The Lord Our Rock.

Strength

Nothing - no person; no force; and no other god is stronger than our God! He is omnipotent. We do not serve a weak God, but we serve a mighty God who can never be outdone or undone. No power can compete with His strength. This is comforting because if He is strong, then so are we. Psalm 31:24 (NKJV) says, “Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.” Even when we feel weak, we can cling to the strength of God in any situation we face. He is our Rock, and He makes us strong.

Safety and Shelter

We are protected because God is our hiding place. Psalm 27:5 (NKJV) tells us, “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.” He promises to be our refuge, shelter, and fortress that we can run to for safety no matter what circumstances we experience. There is nothing that can threaten our lives, and no evil that can overtake us because God promises to shield us. We don’t have to fear hurt, harm, or danger since Jehovah Sali is our Rock. Knowing God as Jehovah Sali means we have a hiding place in Him. Psalm 61:2 (NKJV) offers us great comfort regarding the safety and shelter of God as our Rock: “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Security

There is no other rock that can offer us stability

and surety like the security we find in Jehovah Sali. He is solid in all of His ways. He is not capable of failing and will not falter. Nothing can cause us to be plucked from His hand or be shaken. Since His security does not waver as the wind, we too shall not be moved, but boldly stand secure. Remember Psalm 40:2 (NIV) the next time you are challenged by shifting ground around you, “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”

Source

Our rock is our source of all we need. Everything starts and ends with God, therefore we can confidently trust His plan for us because He is the source of every resource. As our sovereign God, countless times He reminds us how much we can turn to, confide in, and lean on Him. He has created all we are, and all we have. Psalm 121:2 causes us to be reminded, “My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.” Because He is our source, the One who has made everything, we can rest upon Jehovah Sali, The Lord our Rock, now and forever. What a most beautiful name of our God.

Prayer of A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) to Jehovah Sali, The Lord Our Rock

Adoration: Oh God, You alone are worthy of all adoration, glory, and honor. There is no other God stronger and mightier than you, Jehovah Sali, The Lord our Rock.

Confession: Father, I confess I have not always trusted you as my Rock. I have

even depended upon other people and attempted to draw strength from other things instead of embracing you as the only unmovable, unshakable, sustaining source of my life. Please forgive me Father. Help me to draw my strength, receive affirmation of my safety, and rest in the security you provide me as Jehovah Sali, my Rock.

Thanksgiving: Lord, I am so grateful for all the ways you continue to prove to m

e how much you really are The Rock I can always count on. Thank you for being the friend I can always run to, my Rock that never disappoints. Thank you for being consistent. Thank you for being constant. I am eternally grateful to know you as my Rock in every season of my life.

Supplication: Dear Lord, I ask you to continue to reveal to me in new ways how you are showing up for me as my Rock. Open my eyes to see how you continue to be steadfast and faithful to me. Remind me to turn to you first and never be moved when things arise that would try to shake my confidence in you. May I always find refuge, joy, and peace as I hide myself in the cleft of The Rock, Jehovah Sali.