有一座巨型岩石俯瞰着加拿大卑诗省斯阔米什市（Squamish）；这座巨大的花岗独石名叫史坦沃姆斯峰（Stawamus Chief），峰顶的高度超过海拔700米（765码）。如果你有足够耐力攀登崎岖山路的话，你可以登上峰顶，从那里你便可以观赏到下面的山谷美景了。这个地方对住在这里的原居民是很重要的，因为岩石使他们想起创造主，虽然他们并不完全认识衪。
当我们与诗人一起祷告说：“（神是）我的磐石，我所投靠的”时，我们心目中的石不是一颗打磨过、可以放在口袋里的小石，我们也不会视它为一块无情、冷酷、和毫无感觉的岩石。
我们乃是想到岩石的其他特质，例如保护、荫庇、和稳固可靠。在圣经中，神启示衪自己是信实、可靠、和强壮的。昨日、今日，一直到永远，神都不会改变，神有无可比拟的威严、能力、和忍耐，没有人能比得上祂。
所以，无论是为了什么缘故，我们都可以躲藏在我们的统帅、我们的守护者、我们的神里面，衪是我们的磐石，祂必定会荫庇我们，祂必定会保守我们平安渡过风浪。
神啊，我们的磐石，我们转向你并赞美祢，因为祢既强壮又满有能力。我们在祢里面躲藏，感谢祢环绕和保护我们。奉祢完美的名祈求，阿们。
诗篇 18:1-5, 16-19, 30-31
1 耶和华我的力量啊，我爱你！
2 耶和华是我的岩石，我的山寨，我的救主，我的神，我的磐石，我所投靠的。他是我的盾牌，是拯救我的角，是我的高台。
3 我要求告当赞美的耶和华，这样我必从仇敌手中被救出来。
4 曾有死亡的绳索缠绕我，匪类的急流使我惊惧，
5 阴间的绳索缠绕我，死亡的网罗临到我。
16 他从高天伸手抓住我，把我从大水中拉上来。
17 他救我脱离我的劲敌和那些恨我的人，因为他们比我强盛。
18 我遭遇灾难的日子，他们来攻击我，但耶和华是我的倚靠。
19 他又领我到宽阔之处；他救拔我，因他喜悦我。
30 至于神，他的道是完全的，耶和华的话是炼净的，凡投靠他的，他便做他们的盾牌。
31 除了耶和华，谁是神呢？除了我们的神，谁是磐石呢？
"He shields all who take refuge in him." - Psalm 18:30
Overlooking the town of Squamish, British Columbia, is a huge rock, an enormous granite monolith called Stawamus Chief. At its tallest point, the Chief is over 700 meters (765 yards) above sea level. If you can handle a rugged hike, you can climb it and take in spectacular views of the valley below. It is also an important place for the Indigenous people who live here because it reminds them of the Creator, even if they don’t know him fully.
When we pray with the psalmist, “God is my Rock, in whom I take refuge,” we aren’t using an image of a small polished rock that we can put in our pocket. We are also not thinking of the rock as cold, hard, and unfeeling.
Instead we are thinking of other characteristics, such as protection, shelter, and solid reliability. In the Bible, God has revealed himself to be faithful, dependable, and strong. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God has unparalleled majesty, power, and endurance. There is no one like him.
This is why, for any reason, we can hide ourselves in the cleft of our chief, our protector, our God—our Rock—and he will provide shelter for us. He will keep us safe from the storm.
O God, our Rock, we turn to you and give you praise because you are strong and powerful. We hide ourselves in you and thank you for surrounding and protecting us. In your perfect name, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
