"He opened the rock and water poured out;
it flowed like a river through that desert- "
Psalm 105
So many crazy things going on in that one verse. None of it really makes any logical sense.
The nature of things are turned on its natural head.
Rock.
Water.
River.
Desert.
Psalm 105 is a beautiful reminder of God's journey with His people and His jaw-dropping provision. All bending and breaking the laws of nature.
It's a shout-out not to forget this when we get stuck in our logical calculating minds.
Safe minds. Scared minds. Clever minds. Controlling and measuring minds.
A couple of things going on in this verse and Eugene Peterson graciously captures God's action;
First thing: He opened the rock...
So simple. So gentle. So mind-bendingly impossible.
Richard Rohr reminds us that the ego hates losing, even to God. In my own striving for acceptance and desperation for security I end up trying to do God's work for him.
No. He opened the rock.
Second thing: He opened the rock...
So natural. So effortless. So gentle. Didn't smash, break or force it.
If at first you don't succeed, use more violence. That was one way in which I tried to smash open rocks in my life. Why was simple trust so difficult? Why did brute force feel so safe? Why was giving over control so frightening?
He opened the rock.
Smashing rocks is exhausting. When I stand back and allow Him to do the work, a river flows in that desert.