My Fortress . . . My Deliverer

When I was 13 my parents bought a small piece of land and began building a new house. The few weeks of excavation for the basement provided large mounds of dirt, upon which I made small fortresses. I felt so safe and secure in these. As I remember the security I felt when entrench in one of my little strongholds, I gain a slight understanding of David’s words in Psalm 18.2.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

These words promptly follow David’s profession of love to God. David is quickly clarifying that he did not merely love God through the good times in life, or through the times of blessing. Rather, he loved God during his darkest moments when he faced captivity and death. That is why David knew that God is a rock, fortress, refuge, shield, and stronghold. As David fixed himself in the unshakable fortress that is our God, he came to better understand that God is also our deliverer and salvation, because not only did God provide protection for David from his enemies, He also provided a way of escape and/or victory.

This leads to an obvious question. Are you loving God in such a way that you think of Him as your stronghold? When you are confronted with anxiety, stress, and trouble where do you turn? Do you turn against someone, or do you turn to someone? If you have placed your faith in God, trusting in Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for your salvation, you have been promised that you have someone to turn to: Jesus Christ. In 1 Peter 5.6-7, Peter writes:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

These are words of promise to all those in need of a refuge and deliverance.

God's best.