Between A Rock And A Sweet Space

This verse caught me the other day as reading. Ps. 81:16, "But I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."

What caught me was the contrast of the two items mentioned in the verse. Honey, for one and the rock for the other. They seem like they do not go together at all but God uses this strange connection to remind His wayward people that He is still merciful in spite of their sins.

I thought, well, honey is sweet, healthy, brings flavor to other food dishes, and has many uses that are helpful in general. While a rock, on the other hand, is hard, lifeless{except for whatever bacteria may be on it's hard service} gets in the way of seed trying to grow. Rocks have some uses for sure, but one of them is not producing honey. So why does God use this poetic language of getting honey out of a rock to bless His people, who are unconcerned with Him or His blessing?

Well, sometimes hard, rocky circumstances have a way of making us feel that we have hit "rock bottom" as they say. It seems like nothing good is going to come out of this trial, and the pressure of our situation weighs on us till we feel like we're about to be crushed by them. Where's the honey?

It is exactly in those times when the sweetness of God's Presence is most sensed and appreciated. When we have no where else to turn except to call out to our Savior, that's when we realize that He is there, closer than a brother.  His Holy Spirit whispers the sweet insights that are especially precious as we pray and seek Him, even though we groan under the weight of our concern.

His word becomes all the more precious and particularly relevant to us. It hits home and our hearts are soothed by the promises and phrases that now mean so much more to us as we consider them.  Yes, out of a hard rocky place, God feeds us with honey, sweetness and the helpful comforts of His Holy Spirit.  James says to count it joy when we face difficult circumstances and trials, because it is in these very trials that Gods Presence is made known to us in an experiential way. That is a sweet experience, even in the midst of a rocky road, and hard trying pressures.

There is a choice involved however. We choose to seek Him, trust Him, read His word and pray, and say in effect, no matter what my circumstances, I believe God, He will perfect that which concerns me someway, somehow. It is born out of faith, born out of maturity and a willingness to trust and follow God in any case.

When that is our lifestyle, we find that it truly is like life enhancing honey out of a hard lifeless rock.
That truly is sweet.