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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. (Psalm 61:2)

Have you ever faced something that seemed insurmountable? On Wednesday, July 19, 1989, Mark Wellman began his ascent up the 3,000 vertical feet of El Capitan, a sheer rock granite in Yosemite National Park. A few rock climbers have successfully scaled El Capitan, but this time was different. Mark gained national recognition by becoming the first paraplegic to have climbed El Capitan with newspaper headlines reading, “Paraplegic and partner prove no wall is too high to scale." This feat was made possible with the support of his trusted friend, Mike Cobertt, who climbed ahead of Mark to anchor ropes at each stage of the ascent. Together, Mark and Mike reached the summit. Like Mark, we can face mountains in life that make us feel overwhelmed. During those times God promises to be our trusted guide.

In Psalm 61, King David found himself in circumstances that were beyond his control. Although the nature of his despair is not spelled out, he shares that his suffering wore on him to the point of despair. David’s urgent prayer was that he would be able to experience peace in God’s presence by reaching the summit of The Rock, a motif for Christ, the ‘Rock of Ages.’ David is well aware that the rock is too high for him to reach in his own strength, so he cries out to God to be his mountain guide. Only by trusting in God’s leading will he be able to scale the mountain and take refuge. Only by depending on God’s unfailing love will David experience the rest he seeks in the rock that is higher than him, a rock where rest can only be found in the presence of Christ.

It can be overwhelming to consider that our holy God would be willing to be our mountain guide. He knows that in our own strength we could never scale the mountain of loss, fear, despair, anxious thoughts, or hurtful habits. But through His love and grace He leads us to Christ our refuge. Only in Christ will we be above the reach of the enemy seeking to conquer Christ’s loved ones. For David, troubles appear to lose their grasp when they are surveyed from the pinnacle of God’s perspective. Today, may our prayer be, “God lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Reflect

1. What insurmountable mountain are you facing today? How does the assurance of God being your devoted guide give you comfort?
2. The “rock that is higher than I” represents Christ, the Rock of Ages. What are some ways we can attempt to reach the summit in our own strength? 
3. Since you can never reach the summit of Christ by yourself, what specific areas is God asking you to trust Him with today? 

This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. (1 John 4:9)

You cannot be near to God without being affected by His divine love. Born in 1707, Charles Wesley, wrote ten poetic lines each day for 50 years; no wonder he is called the greatest hymn writer of all time. Ten lines each day may not sound like much, but it quickly adds up. To put it into perspective, if you were to sing one hymn every day, it would take you nearly 25 years to get through the 8,989 songs Wesley wrote. One of those hymns is titled, Love Divine, all Loves Excelling, and it was sung today at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in Westminster Abby, England. The hymn touches on various elements of Christian doctrine, including the praiseworthiness of God’s divine love as expressed in the incarnation of Christ.

In 1 John 4:9, the apostle seeks to describe the lavish love of God for us through the sending of His Son. The divine love of God was released through the sending of His Son to this world. The incarnation reminds us that Jesus did not seek to save us from a distance, rather He came to this broken and sinful earth so that we might live through Him. Here, John makes a significant distinction when he encourages his audience to live through Christ. The life he is referring to is not simply the physical existence of flesh, blood, and bones, rather it goes much deeper. The divine love of God was revealed so that we might live a life of eternal significance, a life that replaces bitterness with forgiveness, selfishness with generosity, and hate with love. Such a life is impossible unless God’s divine love, through Christ, fills our hearts. Could it be that is why Wesley included the following stanza:

Jesus, Thou art all compassion,

Pure, unbounded love Thou art;

Visit us with Thy salvation,

Enter every trembling heart.

Today, let’s pray that the limitless love of God will allow us to see others through the excelling love of Christ towards us. No other love can motivate us towards God’s mission more than His love divine.

Reflect

• In John 17:20-23, Jesus prays that the world would know that He was sent from God through the love and unity His followers show towards each other. How is God’s divine love and our personal/institutional mission connected?
• How does getting closer to God’s divine love affect and effect your life? 

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10, NIV)  

“But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”” (Daniel 3:18, NIV) 

God may not always save us from the fire, but He will be with us through the fire. Last week our campus heard the remarkable story of Kechi Okwuchi at Convocation. As shared in the Southern Accent, Kechi was one of two passengers who survived a plane crash that took the lives of 107 individuals in 2005. She tragically suffered third-degree burns on 65 percent of her body due to that accident, yet she refused to allow her pain to limit her purpose. Kechi currently advocates for several organizations including the United Nations Foundation #TOGETHERBAND project. 

Do not be surprised if a trial is kindled while you are in the midst of trusting in God. In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar tests the faith of three Hebrew young adults. The King commands Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to bow down to his golden image or pay the ultimate price and be thrown into the fire. Their response to the King was immediate. They knew God had the power to save, but they continued and said, “even if He does not.” You see, it is easy to be faithful when God answers our prayers according to our expectations, but what happens when He doesn’t? An even if faith says, “I am going to trust anyway, I am going to be faithful anyway, and I am going to believe anyway.” Even when we are facing the furnace, we can choose to have an even if faith!

As you experience your faith being tested your sorrows can also be a catalyst that turns your face from the fiery trial to the caring face of the Savior. “True virtue never appears so lovely as when it is most oppressed, and the divine excellency of real Christianity is never exhibited with such advantage as when under the greatest trials.”1] During times of great trial our desire is for God to save us from the fire, but He sometimes wants to reveal that He can also save us through the fire.

Reflect

• Is there any area of your life where you feel you faith is being tested? It could be your studies, family, finances, health or relationships.
• How may God be calling you to have an “even if” kind of faith in your situation?
• Complete this sentence, “Even if _____________, I will still trust God!” 

“I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power. Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 69:29–30, NLT) 

Praying in times of pain is as important as praising God in times of deliverance. In her book Troubled Minds, Amy Simpson reveals the following highlights from her survey about dealing with mental illness in the church. Simpson reveals nearly half (44.5 Percent) of church leaders are approached two to five times per year for help in dealing with mental illness. She also emphasizes when Christians are on medication or diagnosed with a mental illness, over a third of Christians keep the matter very private. Unfortunately, there is an unbiblical belief held by some churches which equates emotional distress with a lack of faith.

In Psalm 69, we find David praying while experiencing intense suffering. Instead of keeping his pain private, David describes his stress to God in painstaking detail. He declares how he cried out so intensely that his “throat” feels like it is burning; he mentions that his inner being is ablaze; he feels he cannot go on because his eyes are “failing” after shedding so many tears. Yet even though David is in emotional distress, He is still holding onto faith by seeking God. For David, emotional pain did not lead to distrust in God - it gloriously pointed him to God. It appears Christians can shed tears and hold onto God at the same time.

Even though David’s tears made it difficult to see how God was going to rescue him, he was still filled with hope by looking forward to the day that God would act. By commenting on this chapter Ellen White writes, “Let His [God’s] love take possession of mind and heart. Guard against becoming overwearied, careworn, depressed. Bear an uplifting testimony. Turn your eyes away from that which is dark and discouraging, and behold Jesus…” Seeking God in times of pain also prepares our hearts to praise Him during times of rescue. “The humble shall see this and be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.” (Psalm 69:32, NKJV)

Reflect

• Have you ever felt the emotional intensity that David described? A burning throat, fever-like symptoms or the inability to control tears? When? What was this like?
• If you are in a season of suffering or pain, find someone with whom you can share your struggles with. Choose someone who will listen well and pray for you.
• If you are in a fruitful season, you may know someone to whom you can reach out with a listening ear and a heartfelt prayer.

Ellen Gould White, Maranatha, The Lord Is Coming (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1976), 159.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12, NIV) 

This week students, faculty and staff at Southern Adventist University have been gathering each night for Student Week of Prayer. From the heartfelt responses of students, the presence of the Holy Spirit has been evident as students have led in song, prayer and preaching centered around the theme of clothing ourselves with the character of Christ based on Colossians 3:12.

In this verse, Paul reminds believers that even though God originally chose the nation of Israel to be His people, being chosen in Christ is not based on what they are ethnically but whose they are spiritually. The believers in Colossae are to consider themselves holy and dearly loved by God, practicing virtues that are countercultural to the world around them.

Today, many accomplished athletes sign lucrative sports deals with well-known companies. Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan has made over $1 billion from his deal with Nike (that is nine zeros.) Large companies have famous athletes wear their shoes, clothing, gloves, and hats. What is the goal? To have their chosen athlete covered by their brand from head-to-toe. 

As God’s chosen, Paul urges us to dress "head-to-toe" in Christ's wardrobe. His clothes are made of the finest materials known as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Ellen White writes, “The Saviour longs to save the young. He would rejoice to see them around His throne, clothed in the spotless robes of His righteousness.”

Reflect

• In what ways are you clothing yourself with the characteristics of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience? 
• In what ways do you fall short in putting on the character of Christ? 
• If you were totally honest with yourself, are you more concerned about what you wear outwardly than how you clothe yourself inwardly? Genuinely talk to God about the things you wish you could understand about being more like Christ.

 Ellen Gould White, God’s Amazing Grace (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1973), 287.

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16, NLT) 

Love is tested by our ability to show it without seeking anything in return. On September 16, 1962, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached one of the greatest sermons on counter-cultural love at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA. The sermon is titled, “Levels of Love” whereby he sets a thesis on one of the most misunderstood expressions today, love. Dr. King preached that the highest form of love both displayed and described in the Bible is agape. During his sermon he provided a contemporary application by stating, “The person may be tall, or the person may be short. The person may be light, or the person may be dark. The person may be rich, or the person may be poor. The person may be up and in; the person may be down and out. The person may be white; the person may be black. The person may be Jew; the person may be Gentile…[but] you come to the point of loving every man and becomes an all-inclusive love. It is the love of God operating in the human heart.” 

Dr. King was often attacked for his nonviolent approach, his incorporation of agape during the Civil Rights movement was frequently labeled as weak and sentimental. However, Dr. King believed that agape love was not at all weak, but one of the strongest powers that could be experienced, “It is a very stern love that would organize itself into collective action to right a wrong by taking on itself suffering.” The apostle John also describes “real love” as being strong through the ultimate act of self-sacrifice demonstrated by Jesus on the cross. Such love, real agape love, does something that no other love can do; it causes us to love others without seeking anything in return.

REFLECT

• What does the apostle John mean when he says, “So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters?”
• What opportunities can you take to love your neighbor as yourself?
• How can you help foster a community not just for the hurt and mistreated, but a community of the hurt and mistreated?