                              
For Christmas, Sophia was given her first set of Duplos. Sure she played with them since then, but the last 2 weeks have proven to be different. Imagination & creativity & understanding have now meshed & Sophia began building “castles”. She wants them tall, strong & to last, no matter what she does to them. Watching her build this week got me to thinking…
Almost a year ago, my family began a journey that no one could have prepared us for. No one but God. I bought a CD, by someone I had never heard of before & 1 song, out of the 11 BEAUTIFUL songs, became my anchor for the year. The song was “A Mighty Fortress” by Christy Nockels. This morning I was reminded again of that song as I read,
“Since you are my rock & my fortress, for the sake of your name lead & guide me.” (Psalm 31:3).
The psalmist used this imagery repeatedly in referring to God. Repeatedly. This morning I asked myself, “Why would that be?”. The answer? Because the psalmist KNEW it to be true!!! God was always the protection that the psalmist sought. I looked at some of the words in this verse & learned:
- rock – “savior, redeemer, refuge. The title “rock” connotes all that is ultimately strong, secure, & safe about the person of God.” It goes on to say, “This title is found in contexts where God’s people affirm their trust in Him in situations of dire need & trauma”. This made me ask myself, “Do I live each day maintaining, declaring, believing that God is my Rock?
- fortress – “a net, a castle, a strong place.” In asking God to be his “strong fortress” (v. 2), David is literally asking God to be “his house of fortification”. Fortification is the means by which we are strengthened, reinforced, supported. David was trusting God to be his ultimate defense. He was not depending on any other source.This made me ask myself, “Am I letting Him be the source that I go? Am I letting Him be my support, my means of fortification?
(Resources used for definitions were “Holman OT Commentary” & “The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words”)
I read this anonymous quote: “Adversity does not make us frail; it only shows us how frail we are.”
Very true. And in discovering our “frailness”, may we find our only true source of strength, of reinforcement, of support to be our God. May we come to realize that we are stronger than we thought because His strength will be our strength.
Here is the song. May it bless you. May it cause you to discover anew that:
“A mighty fortress is our God. A sacred refuge is Your name. Your kingdom is unshakeable. With you forever we will reign.”
