SEVENSample

TITLE: Honey in the Rock

Theme: Suffering and Rejoicing

Song & Lyric: Honey in the Rock: “There's honey in the rock, water in the stone, manna on the ground, no matter where I go. Oh how sweet, how sweet it is, to trust in You Jesus”

Scriptures:

• Psalm 81:16 (ESV)
• Revelation 2:8-11 (ESV)
• John 16:33 (ESV)

Devotional:

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” - Revelation 2:10 (ESV)

Revelation can be a confusing book of Scripture to read. Often we are tempted to look for extra meaning in every single detail. We can be easily led into thinking everything is a hidden message. When it comes to this verse (Rev 2:10), we can often ask ourselves ‘what does this mean?’ or ‘what does that stand for?’, but maybe the simplest message of the text can help make sense of it all: We all face suffering, but we’re promised that it’s never forever.

The truth is, in this life we are guaranteed trouble. John 16:33 (NIV) says,“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We cannot decide whether we will suffer or not, but we can decide how we will approach suffering. In the Old Testament, the people of God faced trial, testing, and tribulation throughout their journey to the promised land. Israel often complained to God, turned their backs on Him, or forgot His goodness. Yet, God never wavered in His character or faithfulness to His people. He gave Manna from Heaven, provided water from a stone, and promised honey from a rock (Psalm 81:16). Despite the things we face in this life, we never walk alone and we are never without promise. Jesus tells us to “take heart,” because He has overcome, and if we trust Him, we will overcome as well. This is why we can sing or pray with confidence: “There's honey in the rock, water in the stone; manna on the ground, no matter where I go”. Regardless of the circumstances we face in this life, we serve a good God who provides, who leads us through the wilderness—One who will never leave or forsake us. Though we don’t get to decide whether trouble will come our way, we always have the choice to remember God’s goodness and to place our trust in Him. Today, choose Him. Choose to trust in His promise, to look at His proven track record. When we do these things, we can truly say: “Oh how sweet, how sweet it is, to trust in You Jesus.”