Stones

Stones by Kat Armstrong

U2 is the greatest rock band of all time. This is just fact. And I know that’s part of why you come to Dr. McKnight’s blog—to read about truth. The truth is, Bono leads the greatest rock band of all time.

As any adoring fan would, I’ve read Bono’s memoir, Surrender, from cover to cover. And devoured many of the interviews he gave to promote the book. But one conversation stood out to me: Bono’s interview with Mike Cosper, director of Christianity Today Media.

Bono revealed that after all this time, all this fame, all the records, he still gets nervous. He still has to surrender his insecurities to the Lord. And here’s what he said to Cosper: “But I will tell you, deep down, there is an anchor. I’m fixed to a rock, and that rock is Jesus.”[i]

Rocks are some of the most indestructible things in nature. Even when they are destroyed—beaten by weather, ground down, battered, worn by time—they re-form and make something new. They are still stone. They endure.

Perhaps that’s why in Scripture, rocks and stones are such profound signs of God’s faithfulness.

I’ve just launched a new Bible study into the world titled Stones: Making God’s Faithfulness the Bedrock of Your Faith, a companion study to the Sticks Bible study. The curriculum is a five-week study of Bible stories that feature rock and stone imagery.

When I began to write Stones, Russia invaded Ukraine.

Throughout the invasion, I vacillated between feeling helpless and distraught. Helpless because life felt so fragile and subject to evil’s whims. And distraught because the images of Ukrainian children, stumbling across the border to Poland, broke my heart. The sounds of toddlers crying for their daddies and whimpering after a long, harrowing journey was too much for me to bear.

The day before the invasion I was looking up every use of the words stone and rock in the Bible, and the next day the whole world seemed unprotected, vulnerable, and defenseless. It felt as if the ground beneath my feet were sinking sand, catastrophically damaged, irreparable.

What I needed most during that season of life was to remember that God is faithful.

His character is solid as a rock, and I can build my life on the sure foundation of Jesus––who never cracks under pressure.

I needed the God described by the psalmists: a stronghold, a refuge, the rock of my salvation, and the rock of my protection.

After some digging in the Scriptures, I was reminded that the Rock of Ages, the one true, living God, is still on his throne (which, according to Revelation, sits in the midst of innumerable precious stones). And Jesus, the Cornerstone of my faith, the surest evidence of God’s faithfulness, is still in the business of building his invincible Kingdom—a Kingdom never threatened by evil or evildoers.

Rocks and stones are not random details captured by the Bible’s authors. Stone imagery in the Scriptures can build our faith in the same way the stones were used to build altars and memorials of worship to God.

As I wrote the Stones Bible study, I explored

• Genesis 28, 35: the bedrock of Jacob. Rocks and stones emerge in Jacob’s story as the sign of his connection to God and remembrance of God’s call on his life.

• Exodus 34: the bedrock of Moses. Rocks and stones play a key role in Moses’ story as the sign of God’s enduring covenant with a stubborn and disobedient people.

• Joshua 4: the bedrock of Joshua. Rocks and stones show up in Joshua’s story when he has the Israelites bring stones of remembrance together to bear witness to God’s faithfulness.

• Matthew 27–28: the bedrock of Jesus. The impact of stones in the story of God changes forever when the power of God rolls away the tombstone for the resurrected Christ.

• 1 Peter 2: the bedrock of the church. Rocks and stones convey our purpose as living stones, commissioned to live out God’s purpose in the world.

Ultimately, what I learned from the stones of Scripture is that stones are a tangible reminder of God’s faithfulness, pointing us again and again to the Rock, Jesus. The One for whom the stone was rolled away, whose resurrection solidifies our faith.

If you are struggling to find sure footing in your faith or are longing for security, protection, or refuge, you’ll find the safety you long for in your mightiest fortress, Jesus.

I’m with Bono on this one. I’m fixed to a rock, and that rock is Jesus.

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[i] https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/december/bono-book-interview-cover-story-u2-hope-punk.html

Do you ever feel like your faith or Bible reading is fragmented? Dissecting passages or pulling verses to apply to your life may not lead to an organized understanding of Scripture. The Storyline Bible Studies follow a person, place, or thing to thematically guide you to a cohesive understanding of the Bible. Each study is five weeks and pairs with its thematic partner. Get free guides for small groups or preaching at The Storyline Project.