It was a wonderful time in God’s presence and we heard great testimonies from our brethren. A detailed account of their testimonies can be found here.

God’s word was brought forth by Pastor Isaac V. Olori. The topic of this Sermon was “The Rock that is higher than I”, (Psalm 61:1-5).

Introducing the sermon, Pastor Isaac V. Olori said that every individual, no matter how highly placed, gets to a point when they are low. However, to stand the pressures of life and overwhelming situations, we all need a rock which is higher than us. Some situations have persisted because we look up to a ‘rock’ that is at the same level with us.

If you are a child of God, you have a Father you can cry to. Just as when our children cry, something is stirred up within us as parents, so does God attend to us when we cry to Him. Furthermore, he pointed out that many times, instead of crying to God, we grumble, cry about the situation or speak to our fellow men (who are limited) about the situation. The difference between God and man is that God can attend to more than one person at a time.

Using David as a case study, he elaborated on verse 2 of the text – “The end of the earth”

Details can be found below:

The end of the earth signifies two things:

1. A geographical location: There are some physical challenges that make you see unnoticed. Never get to the point where you give up because even from the ends of the earth, God can hear your cry.

2. Spiritually distance: It refers to a person who was disconnected from God. When there is spiritual distance, only a cry for mercy and help will deliver such a person. An instance was David, when he committed sin (adultery, murder, deceit). He tried to cover it, until God sent Prophet Nathan, who spoke to him about it. On hearing his misdeed, David cried for mercy and God saved him.

David’s words in verse 2 “…when my heart is overwhelmed…” notice that David did not say “if…”. This implies that overwhelming situations will certainly come to us at one point or the other. It is only through challenges that we can know the power of God. The challenge is that, many Christians never prepare for crisis. As Christians, we must take time to build our spiritual life, rather than depend on our strength.

Other points worthy of note include:

• A rock is a place of stability and security. Notwithstanding the circumstances, the rock remains stable and cannot be removed. The foundation mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:11 refers to the Rock. There is no other foundation except Jesus. Anyone trying to lay another foundation would be wasting their time. Most buildings collapse because of the quality of the foundation. Hence, we need to build a solid foundation for our lives.
• No man has an answer to the problems we face in life. We need a rock, so that when problems come we have a place to hide (2 Timothy 2:19).
• If you are standing on The Rock and you have a challenge, you must not give up.
• Our heart must be in the right place. What attracts God to you is the state of your heart, hence you must be careful what goes through your heart. Your heart must be perfect before God. The devil will do everything to attack your heart.

In summary, he said,

1. You need a Rock.
2. A Rock that is higher than you
3. “Lead me” – Let God lift you up

Finally, when you get to the rock, you gain elevation above struggles and circumstances (Isaiah 59:1-2). God hears all prayers but does not answer favorably to all prayers. The only prayer He answers from a sinner is the prayer of mercy.