“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway, let me see your form, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely.”
—Song of Songs 2:14 NASB

Reflection:
When we first meet the Lord, many of us are so excited. We want to tell everybody about Him. We begin discovering who God is and our own identity in Him as His child. We become hungry for God. We want to be in church meetings, Bible studies, prayer, worship, and His Word as much as we can.

At the same time, many of us are still untrained in living a Christian lifestyle. We come right out of the world, where we used to do many unsanctified things. Everything about walking with Jesus is something we have to learn. We may love the Lord sincerely and still be unaware of what is wrong, unhelpful, or holding us back from closer fellowship with Him.

The Holy Spirit is faithful to put His finger on the issues and habits in our lives that keep us from closer fellowship with Him. It is as if He says, Now it’s time to cleanse yourself of these things, to get a little whiter like that lily in the valley. There are seasons when we are soaking in Yeshua’s love and being bathed in His presence. Then comes a time, as it does for all of us, of unexpected shifts and tests that require faith and obedience.

We begin to learn that God requires greater and greater levels of obedience over time. The progression never ends, and this is for our transformation and glory. His way of leading us includes times of rest when we are simply strengthened in His presence, being still and receiving. But then He changes it up and calls us to take greater steps of faith up the mountain in our work and relationship with Him.

Yeshua calls us into the clefts of the rock, into the secret place of the steep pathway. This has deep prophetic meaning. The cleft of the rock appears in Moses’ encounter with God, when Moses prayed, “I pray You, show me Your glory” (Exodus 33:18). Father God provided a place by Him, and Moses was placed in the cleft of the rock while God’s glory passed by.

The cleft of the rock is the place Father God provides to allow us to experience His glory. Moses was not able to approach God and see His glory as a human being, so God said, in essence, I will put you in the cleft of the rock, a place that will protect you.

What does this mean for you and me? The cleft of the rock is a shadow of Jesus. Yeshua has become the cleft of the rock for us. In Him we are accepted and can experience the favor, love, glory, and revelation of God. The New Testament testifies that Messiah Jesus is the cleft of the rock for us: “And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:4).

Beloved, the climb may be steep, and obedience may require faith, but we are not exposed or alone. We are hidden in Messiah Jesus, the Rock. In Him, Father God provides the place where we can be cleansed, protected, transformed, and brought nearer to His glory.

Application:

• Ask the Holy Spirit to point out anything that is keeping you from closer fellowship with Him.
• When God calls you to greater obedience, remember that Yeshua is the cleft of the rock, the place where you are accepted, protected, and brought into the glory of God.

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for calling me closer and teaching me how to walk with Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit put His finger on the issues and habits that keep me from deeper fellowship with You. Cleanse me and make me willing to take greater steps of faith and obedience. Hide me in Yeshua, the cleft of the rock, where I am accepted and protected. Let me experience Your favor, love, glory, and revelation in Messiah Jesus. Amen.