Lead Me To The Rock

By Melissa Sharp

“Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 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 61:1-2

After finishing the difficult Dogwood Canyon 50k trail race after nearly eight hours of running, my husband and I headed back to our room. I needed to prepare for the second day of the Dogwood Canyon Challenge, a 15k race. While the thought of another morning spent running up and down the insanely steep Ozark hills didn’t necessarily fill my heart with joy—knowing I had the blessed opportunity to deliver the devotion and prayer before the race—most certainly did! 

“Lord,” I prayed as I propped up my tired feet and began to write Sunday’s message, “what would you have me say to encourage these runners tomorrow to not only finish tomorrow’s race but to complete life’s race when the course before them is especially hard?” 

This was a very heartfelt prayer because I knew what awaited these runners out on the course. Having completed this course many times before, it’s a test of endurance on a good day. But the torrential rains we recently experienced in the Midwest, which caused widespread flooding, rendered portions of the course a muddy mess and made it treacherous. My mind pictured the nearly 30 water crossings I had waded through the day before, along with a few hills that were so steep I debated going down bottom first (one of which I actually did). In fact, because of the conditions, the race took me an hour longer than it had in years past. There was never a point in the entire 31 miles when I was able to relax. It took some serious prayer and effort on my part to keep going! But, by God’s grace, I crossed the finish line after 7 hours and 53 minutes. 

I drew on this experience to encourage the other runners as they gathered before the start of Sunday’s 15k race. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, this was the message I delivered:

“In the first two verses of Psalm 61, David prayed the prayer, ‘Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 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.’”

If you were here yesterday for the 25k or 50k, this was undoubtedly a prayer that you prayed as well. I know I did. Many times, in fact, over the course of 31 miles, I cried out to the Lord for help. Not only were the hills challenging but the massive amounts of mud from the rain made it very slippery to navigate at several points. 

And I imagine it will be that way today as well. Which means it’s a great time to remind you that on the course and in life, there’s NOWHERE you can go that God CAN’T hear your prayer and NO predicament you can find yourself in that God CAN’T help you get out of… even those that make you feel as if you’re drowning under the weight of things, slipping out of control, or utterly and completely defeated. 

This was the emotional state David was in when he penned these words.  And even though David was a great king, he knew that there was a King greater and higher than him. The King of kings and the only One who could come to his rescue. 

You see, David was at a point where he needed secure footing because his circumstances were out of his control and he was slipping into despair. Because of that, David knew he needed three things…

First… David needed the Rock, a place of stability and security, something strong enough to stand against crashing waves or quaking earth and solid enough to gain a much needed foothold. 

Second. He needed the Rock that is higher than I, a place above himself, above his wisdom, above his abilities.

And lastly…David needed God to lead him to that rock. David was unable to get to the firm-footed place above his crisis on his own in the same way that we all are. He was stuck. And without God’s intervention, David would stay stuck. 

So friends… knowing that running in the mud and mire of this world will only leave you feeling overwhelmed and in danger of falling, choose to cling to the Rock that is higher than you today and then run with joy the race set before you.”

Thankfully, all the runners completed the race. Was it difficult? Absolutely! But by stepping onto the rocks rather than the mud when it was in my power to do so, I had firm footing that kept me from falling. And during the times when there was no rock to step onto, I slowed down and put it in the hands of the Father who got me to the finish line. 

God is our Rock. He is more powerful than any circumstance. He gives us His strength, His wisdom, and His love to navigate life!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the opportunities you open up for believers to share the Good News and encourage others through Your Word. Lord, please help us to be bold in declaring that the only way out of the world’s muck is clinging to the Rock, because without Jesus there is no hope for rescue, restoration or salvation. It’s in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.

Melissa Sharp

Melissa Sharp is an ultra runner and running coach who has completed more than 100 marathons and ultra marathons. Melissa has learned how to keep running the race of life for the glory of Christ even though she endured decades of domestic abuse. Melissa is a survivor. Through her daily blog thejoyfilledrunner she inspires others to live in the strength of Christ.