JESUS IS MY FORTRESS
Psalm 18:1-3 declares “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
Fortress, Rock, Buckler, Strength, Deliverer, Horn of my Salvation, High Tower, and of course GOD! These 3 verses give us such an awesome picture of who God is in our lives. When God places His protection around the believer, it is an impenetrable fortress that no one or nothing can enter apart from God’s allowing it. The picture in my mind is like the picture for this post, a castle with high, thick rock walls, and guards (angels!) all around. Perhaps a moat surrounding the entire castle too, just for good measure.
This picture is just a shadow of the reality. The reality is far better! The Bible says “greater is He who is in us than he that is in the world” (I John 4:4) so I know that God won’t let anything enter His fortress over me that will be harmful to me, but only that which will be good for me in the long run, and make me stronger in Christ. I can say these words with confidence, because I have been tested many times. My Fortress (Christ) stood. 100% of the time. I may have come out battle scarred, but also stronger for the battle.
I know that my God loves me and wants only His eternal best for me, so my Christ-Fortress makes me feel totally secure and safe, even when the enemy is prowling about waiting to devour me. I can depend on His strong walls, high tower, strength, and deliverance, because He is my Fortress.
I cannot put it any better than this beautiful old Hymn penned by Martin Luther:
Beautiful Hymn penned by Martin Luther. A Mighty Fortress is our God.
