Keys to the Kingdom
The first special song I remember hearing in church in the 1960s was “Mansion Over the Hilltop.” My cousin’s wife Shirley and her sister Judy sang it in perfect harmony as Shirley played her happy accordion. Another gospel song I recollect is “Honey in the Rock“ written by Frederick A. Graves, an Assembly of God minister who was healed of epilepsy. He penned, “Have you tasted that the Lord is gracious? Do you walk in the way that’s new? Have you drunk from the Living Fountain? There’s honey in the Rock for you.”
God isn’t confined to doing things that are explainable. Everybody knows there’s no honey in a rock. But Psalm 81:16 NLT states, “I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.” You can think what you want, but I believe that “honey in the rock” signifies God’s special blessings. God wants to satisfy (bless) you with extraordinary honey for the taking. Our awesome God enjoys doing unexpected and out-of-the-ordinary things for His born-again children who love and obey Him. God created us because He desired an object of love. All He wants is for us to live as we have been created — in His image.
My Mom experienced honey in the Rock when she delivered a baby girl on February 7, 1958. While praying a few years prior, she had promised the Lord that she would one day have a baby girl for Him. That was a tremendous pledge of faith because she was the last child and only girl out of thirteen children. She delivered on her promise with me.
My Dad experienced honey in the Rock on the battlefield in Germany when he spotted a watch on the ground. When he bent over to pick it up, his Army buddy standing right beside him was shot and killed. After a few minutes of somewhat recovering from this traumatic experience, he looked for the watch and discovered there was no watch.
Several years ago, my brother experienced honey in the Rock when he made his weekly jail visit. He was extremely tired and seriously considered not going; after all, there was only one inmate there. But he followed his heart rather than his feelings and, while ministering to the man, discovered that he had planned to end his life that very night if Randy had not come. Both men’s lives were forever changed.
When my late husband was about 14 years old, he experienced honey in the Rock when he mounted Dynamite. That nutsy unbroken colt dragged his leg down a barbed-wire fence while running full speed. Concerned Jimmy would bleed to death before the ambulance arrived, his mother drove him to the hospital. The emergency surgery was successful and he was dismissed later that night. The family was greatly impacted and deeply grateful for God’s divine participation.
I experienced honey in the Rock the day I was driving on a hilly Missouri road between Cane Hill and Bona. I topped a hill and met a tractor-trailer rig more than hugging the center line. With no shoulder for extra room and no time to think, I jerked the wheel with uncanny precision to avoid a collision. After that close encounter of the scary kind, I realized an angel had most certainly taken control of the steering wheel.
The Key: God is your Rock and He has more honey than you can shake a stick at.