One of my go-to verses over the past several months has been Psalm 31:3, which reads the following:
For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
I don’t know how many times I’ve repeated those lines in my head, but it wasn’t until recently that I started to think deeply about the verse. When I started looking at its stanzas, its flow all of a sudden didn’t make sense to me. It has two parts: 1) You are my rock and my fortress, and 2) You lead me and guide me. Those two ideas, however, don’t seem to go together. In fact, they seem to be unrelated… completely unrelated.
For instance, if you establish yourself upon a rock or hide yourself in a fortress… you aren’t exactly trying to be led and guided anywhere. You’re trying to stay put. You’re not trying to go out. You’re seeking stability and security. You’re not seeking leadership and guidance. The point of establishing yourself on a rock and hiding yourself in a fortress is to be stationary… not transitory. And yet, the words ‘lead’ and ‘guide’ flow immediately after ‘rock’ and ‘fortress’ in one seamless thought.
Which begs the question: How does the psalmist say these two, seemingly contrasting ideas in one, fluid sentence as if they’re so smoothly connected?
And the other day, a thought kind of hit me—I think it’s because often times, we are led and guided by what our rock is and what we take refuge in. In other words, where we find stability and security in life is what will direct the course of our decisions and actions.
People can find their sense of stability and security in life in many things. It can be family, a job, a romantic relationship, social status, or health. None of those things are bad in themselves. However, when we make them—and not God—our greatest sense of stability and security, we will primarily be controlled, led, and guided by those things, not God.
For example, if we find stability and security in romantic relationships (or the hope of one), then we’ll feel like we absolutely need it and can’t go through life without it. Attention and affection won’t just be nice things, but lifeblood. And if it’s your lifeblood, it can take a serious toll on you without you even knowing it. It might look like putting the rest of your life on hold until you get into a relationship. You’ll give anything to have it, and you’ll give anything to keep it. And so, because romance is your security, your decisions and actions will be led and guided by that insatiable desire.
Or, if we find stability and security in financial success, then we’ll feel like we absolutely need ‘that’ job that pays $X, and we won’t be able to go on through life without it. The thought of having ‘that’ job will put everything else on hold. It will steal your joy in your current work now. It will drive your crazy with jealousy for the people who have it. But for the people whose job is their security, they will be enslaved to it. They’ll sacrifice anything for it, even family and health. Financial success won’t just be nice, but necessary. And taking or keeping ‘that’ job will be the number one priority in your life, even if it isn’t the best fit. And so, because work is your security, your decisions and actions will be led and guided by that overpowering desire.
The same can be true of health, image, academics, or the approval of others. The question becomes, how do you know if you’ve made something your security and not God? I think it’s revealed when we ask ourselves this: “Can I be joyful in life without it?” If the answer is no, then we can be sure that it is our truest source of security, not God.
Ultimately, what our rock is and what we take refuge in will direct the choices we make and the actions we take—either for better or for worse. What can’t you go without? That thing will make the biggest difference in your life. Whatever it is, it’s in the driver seat of your life, leading you and guiding you, whether you realize it or not.
When God is your rock, He will lead you and guide you. But when other things are your rock, they will lead you and guide you.
The Hinge
But there’s more to this verse than just ‘You are my rock and my fortress’ and ‘You lead me and guide me’—and it may be the most important part. It’s one, small phrase in between those two big thoughts, and it can easily go overlooked: ‘for your name’s sake.’
I’ll admit, it’s much easier to focus on 1) God being my rock and my fortress, and 2) God leading me and guiding me. But it’s no coincidence that those ideas are held together by the hinge of ‘for your name’s sake.’ This is significant, because without that phrase, it ultimately means that life is up to us.
In other words, if guidance into our future is not for His name’s sake, then it will be for our name’s sake. But that only means we will have too much control, and therefore, too much pressure. And thankfully, God knows that’s not good for us.
Life is not up to us. It’s up to God. “For your name’s sake you lead me and guide me.”
That should give you a huge sigh of relief. Your future is more important to God than it is to you. And that means you can trust him to work out all the details. He’s been in control of everything that’s happened in the past, and He is in control of everything that will happen in the future.
2 Responsibilities
At the same time, the verse is not without responsibility, either. However, it gives one responsibility to us, and it gives one responsibility to God.
Our one responsibility is to make God our rock and our fortress. It’s up to us to make God our greatest sense of security and stability—not relationships, jobs, or status.
And God’s one responsibility is to lead us and guide us. It’s up to God to take us where He wants us to go—not us.
We can only really expect God to follow through on his responsibility until we follow through on our responsibility. Why? Because, in many ways, God’s responsibility to lead us is dependent upon how willing we are to be led by him (i.e., our responsibility to make him our security).
Truly, if we do not make God our rock and fortress, then it will be difficult for God to lead us and guide us… because we will be making decisions and acting out of our own selfish senses of stability and security. But if we make God our security, then we will not act out of our selfish desires, but out of a deep humility to his leadership and guidance.
If we take care of worship issues, then God will take care of leadership issues.
* * * * *
What about you? How are you being led?
Whoever you are, you already are being led by something.
Whatever is in the driver seat of your life is the thing that is steering your life from decision to decision, and from action to action. Is it a relationship? Or the hope of one? Is it a job? Is it the hope one? Is it your health, or the lack thereof? Is it the approval of others? Is it your status? When these things are indispensable to you, they will be driving your life; you certainly will be led by them, but not in the right direction.
However, if God is your security, He will drive you to make decisions. Sometimes, decisions you prefer, but more often, decisions you will not like. But you can be assured that He is leading you and guiding for his name’s sake. And that’s always a better GPS than the one you had pre-programmed in your head anyways.
Do your part, put it all on the table before God.
He will supply what’s missing, and then He’ll set the table for you.
