My neighbor, Jody, was GREAT! A year older than I, Jody’s ideas were always outrageous, his imagination vivid, his excitement contagious, and his energy limitless. Even his spooky, musty attic was the best place to hunker down for an evening and play. We envisioned all manner of make-believe situations in his attic—an attack by aliens, behind-the-lines in Nazi Germany, underwater exploration. Jody was always able to invent scenarios which would engage my young imagination.
I well remember one in particular—Cowboys and Indians. We were cut off from the rest of our group, stranded from any help, and pursued by vicious Indians looking to take our scalps! Panic and fear were the name of the game. And, amazingly, stuck in the hot, musty attic, I was completely taken in. I remember the fear, the dread of being caught and the efforts Jody and I went through to escape. Honestly, in my 7-year-old mind, I was truly terrified. Until, we safely arrived at the fort (the other end of the attic). There was safety! There was rest! There was my… fortress.
In our game the fortress was secure. It was a place of salvation. Enemies could assail it, but nothing inside was in danger, as long as the fortress held. It is hard to express how absolutely safe and secure I felt inside the attic-fortress.
The image of God as a fortress is a popular one—both in the Scripture and in popular Christian thought. One of the church’s most famous hymns, written by the Reformer Martin Luther, is built entirely around this imagery: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God/A bulwark never failing/our Helper He amid the flood/of mortal ills prevailing.”
It is not surprising that the Psalmist drew on this image in describing His God. As in our time, the enemies of the Gospel are all around us—and deep within us! The evil which has set itself against the glory of our Lord is powerful, vicious and determined to destroy. To underestimate the danger is to surely fall into destruction. Yet, all is not lost. Though the Enemy be all around, though the brokenness of sin appears in every thought, word, and deed, yet the Christian dwells secure, for… Our God is a Fortress!
The metaphor of a fortress envisions the strength of high, thick walls; the permeance of security; the power radiating outward. Being “inside” the fort is life. Stable, indestructible, ever-present. These, and so much more, applies ultimately not to any building, not to any man-made structure, but only to the heart of our Lord. It is there, in there, where we find peace, serenity and calm. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble…The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress!” (Psalm 46).
Join us this week as we experience the peace of our Fortress.
Read Psalm 46.
1. In Verse 1, what does “a very present help” mean? How
might one experience this? What blessings does it convey?
