Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
You have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress. Psalm 71.3
There are many bits of creation that are used to convey something of who our God is for us. One of those bits is 'rock'. So, what's behind this imagery of 'rock' in the Scriptures? As you look at how it is used a couple of things become clear. As the Old Testament saints looked at a rock - don't think small stone but huge boulder - they thought: strength and endurance. In the days before dynamite, a rock would stand with no one to move it out of the way. And it stood there year after year after year: strength and endurance.
In this psalm God is not just any rock. He is a rock of refuge. The word 'refuge' is full of meaning. It suggests that there is a problem, something from which a person flees. The problem is so great that that person needs protection. And this protection needs to be strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the problem. And it needs to do that not just at the first but until the problem is dealt with and is no more: strength and endurance.
This is the situation of the psalmist. A problem threatens. He is unable to deal with it. And he is unable to stand firm until the problem ends. He knows all of this. And he knows his God. He knows that He is 'a rock of refuge'. So, his prayer is clear. 'Be to me a rock of refuge'. And this is not asking too much. This God is his God. So, the psalmist's hope is that he will have the strength and endurance to face the problem - and to overcome it - because of the refuge he enjoys in his God.