Be Thou my strong rook,.. . for Thou art my rock,
“Be. .. for Thou art”
It sounds strange logic, “Be. .. for Thou art,” and yet it is the logic of prayer, and goes very deep, pointing out both its limits and its encouragements.
If we were to read thus: “Be Thou a strong Rock to me, for a house, a fortress, for Thou art my Rock and my Fortress,” we should get the whole force of the parallelism. Of course the main idea is that of the “Rock,” and “Fortress” is only an exposition of one phase of the meaning of that metaphor.
I. what God is. “A rock, a fortress-house.” What is the force of that metaphor?
1. Stable being is the first thought in it, for there is nothing that is more absolutely the type of unchangeableness and steadfast continuance. God the Unchangeable rises, like some majestic cliff, round the foot of which rolls for ever the tide of human life, and round which is littered the successive layers of the leaves of many summers.
2. Then besides this stable being, and the consequences of it, is the other thought which is attached to the emblem in Scripture, and that is defence. “His place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks.” When the floods are out, and all the plain is being dissolved into mud, the dwellers on it fly to the cliffs. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”
3. But the Rock is a defence in another way. If a hard-pressed fugitive is brought to a stand and can set his back against a rock, he can front his assailants, secure that no unseen foe shall creep up behind and deal a stealthy stab and that he will not be surrounded unawares.
II. our plea with God, from what he is. “Be Thou to me a Rock. .. for Thou art a Rock.” Is that not illogical? No, for notice that little word “to me”--be Thou to me what Thou art in Thyself, and hast been to all generations.” That makes all the difference. It is not merely “Be what Thou art,” although that would be much, but it is “be it to me,” and let me have all which is meant in that great Name. But then, beyond that, let me point out to you how this prayer suggests to us that all true prayer will keep itself within God’s Revelation of what He is.
III. the plea with God drawn from what we have taken him to be to us. “Be Thou to me a strong Rock, for Thou art my Rock and my Fortress.” What does that mean? It means that the suppliant has, by his own act of faith, taken God for his; that he has appropriated the great Divine revelation, and made it his own. Now a man by faith encloses a bit of the common for his very own. When God says that He “so loved the world that He gave His. .. Son,” I should say, “He loved me, and gave Himself for me.” When the great revelation is made that HE is the Rock of Ages, my faith says: “My Rock and my Fortress.” Having said that, and claimed Him for mine, I can then turn round to Him and say, “Be to me what I have taken Thee to be.” (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
For Thy name’s sake lead me and guide me.--
Divine guidance and leading
What a helpless, hopeless thing would a ship be, launched forth upon the deep without a helm, and without a pilot; how it would be drifted about by every current, and tossed to and fro by every wind and wave; how speedily it must be driven amid the shoals, or dashed upon the rocks. No better is man, launched forth on the waves of this troublesome world. Without a Divine helmsman, how must he inevitably be drifted into danger, and betrayed into ruin, if he follows his own wit, and will, and wisdom! The very essence of all Christian life is to walk by faith and not by sight, and the very essence of Divine wisdom in heaven-taught man is to “trust in the Lord” with all his might, and not to trust in himself, not to trust in his own understanding. How appropriate, then, is this prayer for us all.
I. the petition. “Lead me and guide me.” It implies--
1. That a man feels that he cannot guide himself.
2. That he believes God does interpose in the affairs of men, and that He condescends to guide and lead all who trust in Him.
3. Expectation that God will direct us. Some pray but never wait for the answer.
4. And there must be leading as well as guiding.
II. the plea. Some plead that they do their best: but they do not. This is the true plea--“Thy name’s sake,” God’s gracious character. It is a believer’s prayer. God’s providence, word, and spirit will make plain to us our way. Let us each adopt this prayer. (Hugh Stowell.)