The Ministry of ‘The Rocks’

This morning as I awoke, my mind was upon the rocks of life and their ministry to us. Maybe I should take a moment to explain the concept of the unexplainable. 

In the animal kingdom we find birds that are designed by God to eat various seeds and grains.  The interesting thing I learned sometime ago was that these birds, such as chickens, blue jays, and doves, do not have a stomach that functions as other animals.  Instead, they have an organ called the gizzard. The gizzard works in a unique way with something called grit, and grit is simply dirt, sand, and small pieces of rocks. 

With regularity and strength the gizzard will squeeze and constrict the grains and seeds against this grit or rocks to produce a usable nutritional substance for the growth and development of the bird.  Without the rocks the nutrition of the seeds and grains would never be realized, and without those rocks there would be no development or growth in the bird's body. 

My mind goes to a man by the name of Abraham and his wife Sarah who desired to have a child so much, but somehow were unable to conceive.  The time spent throughout their early years was probably filled with much frustration and perhaps even envy of those who had as many children as they desired.  But on the other side of the miracle of conception and while they held their baby boy, it was the time they had spent without a child that made him that much more special.  It was that time of lack and frustration that I would like to term “The Rocks.” 

It seems that anything of value we ever gain in the Kingdom of God will be produced against the ministry of the Rocks.  Any victory worth claiming and enjoying will come as a result of a battle. The times we spend on the mountaintop will always be balanced with the struggle it took to get there.  

Any joy we have in this life will be a direct result of the ministry of the Rocks.

An interesting thing I found in my reading of the bird’s digestive system was... the rocks never digest. The rocks will pass on, but only to be replaced by other rocks. They never break down in the process of digestion. 

In life we often face these rocky types of situations knowing that we will never be able to break them down.   We will not be able to analyze or explain the whys surrounding our rocks. They come into our life for a season.  Then they pass without even the simplest explanation. 

It can be somewhat liberating to realize that I do not have to be able to understand what the trial was about, who brought it into my life, or why I had to go through it. The bird simply eats and grows as a result of the amazingly designed system it is blessed to have. 

I believe we would do well to take a lesson from the Ministry of the Rocks and allow God to develop and grow us as He sees fit. 

It is the times of discomfort and pain that bring the most peace and power on the other side. He says, “Be still and know that I am God.”  (from Psalms 46:10)

The following passage from the book of Isaiah comes to mind: 

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”

(Isaiah 55:8-12 KJV)

.