GOD’S GREAT FORTRESS
Can you see it? That great stone fortress? It is there, I just need to keep my eyes on Him, my mind and heart in His Word. It is there, mighty and strong in the distance, the sun sparkles as diamonds on those great stones, and I know once I reach it, I will be safe from the harm and temptation, the evil and pain of this world. I must keep striving, and as I race, running with all my might, the fear begins to leave. As I look around, I see I am flanked on either side by mighty soldiers! They are tall and mighty; they fight off the enemy and shout encouragement to me! A new strength flows through me; I am renewed!
As I reach the ramparts of the fortress, I see so many others calling encouragement to me. The prayer warriors from all over. Their prayers sent the soldiers, their prayers sent encouragement and strength to my soul! While I stayed true, even as I began to falter, they prayed and prayed on.
My God is my mighty fortress! He is my rest, my portion, my safety, my strength. I turn and see the horde of evil that pursued me beaten back by that Army of God. The Lord is there; His arm is around my shoulders.
He says, “It is good you are here, loved one. Rest and refresh, regain your strength for soon you will once again join the good fight.”
As I sink into the couch, I find His Word sitting on a table next to me. Beside it, one simple glass of water. I open the Bible, sip that wonderful, life-giving water, and I hear Him, in the distance. “Give your burden to me, loved one. Take my burden for it is lighter and shared by many.”
I slip off the couch onto a deep rug and, on my knees, confess my sin. In simple humility, I share my joys and fears, my sins and my blessings. I share my sorrows, my hopes and my dreams. And in that sweet hour of prayer, my rest from the real world, I again begin to feel that overwhelming love. It is hard to realize how much He loves me, but He does. My breath catches; it is so hard to breathe with the intensity of His love. As I rise from the floor and see that fortress fall away, my comrades are there, still fighting the good fight.
Refreshed and strengthened from my time in the safety of His love, I draw in a breath. Just before I plunge once again into the struggle against sin, the struggle against the evil one, I look up and utter, “Thank you, Lord, for loving one such as me. Thank you, Lord, for believing in me and for loving me. “
Psalm 42:1-4
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
God teaches us in many ways, sometimes when we are on the mountain of success, sometimes when we are in the valley of sadness and loss. We are more likely to learn the value of His mercy and love in times of trouble. That is when we are battling situations, temptations, and weaknesses. We are running for our lives, trying to stay ahead of the hordes of evil screaming fearful screams, growls, howls, and curses. We keep praying to God; unknown to us, God has reminded others to lift us up in prayer. We can’t give up; we WILL make it. We will find the comfort and safety of God’s fortress if we stay true, run even harder, and keep our eyes on that goal: Christ Himself.
What we discover is that the answer is Christ, Jesus. Our soul thirsts for Him, hunger for Him. It is in Jesus Christ we eventually find our joy, our comfort,
John 7:37b-38
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”[a]
These living waters refresh and renew our souls and our minds, remind us of our joy and our inheritance. Once we taste this water, this joy, this communion with Jesus Christ, we are stronger in our conviction, in our living testimony, in our joy. When we fall victim to the temptations of sin, we can feel the effects of that cool, refreshing living water leave, and we become desperate to get it back. As we fight the temptations and deal with the repercussions of our sin, we are fighting to once again achieve the peace, the joy, the rest of fellowship with Jesus. He forgives our sin, gives us rest, builds us back up so that we can fight that good fight.
Think of times in your life when you were fighting off the temptations of whatever your weakness is. When you have unconfessed sin in your heart, that joy, that peace leaves your heart and soul; it is almost as if a heaviness descends upon you, and you are back trying to outrun the horde, but those mighty warriors running next to you are angels. They do not get tired, they do not stop, they will fight for you and with you. You are never as alone as you may think.
So, take heart, get into your prayer closet, have that long talk with Jesus, and you will find that soft, inviting couch, that deep, deep carpet, that cool drink of water that will refresh and strengthen you. So run and fight and fight and run until you get to the safety of God’s Fortress.