"My Fortress"
Sep. 30, 2019
How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. ... For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
— Psalm 62:3-4a, 5-6 (ESV)
"I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house down!" We know how that story turned out. The psalmist is enduring a far more serious attack. He begins by affirming that God is his rock and salvation, his fortress; he shall not be greatly shaken (see Psalm 62:2). But the writer is shaken. Unnamed opponents batter him until he feels like "a leaning wall, a tottering fence." His enemies want to take him down. He cries out, "How long?" Enough is enough!
How long? When have you asked the same when someone or something threaten to bring you down? It might be a situation involving an argument and unkind words, or perhaps you are being bullied by an individual you once called a friend. You may be in physical distress due to illness or disaster. And surely at all times the people of God suffer under the attacks of Satan, who prowls around, not like the fictional big, bad wolf of fairy tale fame, but as an enemy who is all too real, a deadly enemy who hunts us down "like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8b). We begin to feel like "a leaning wall, a tottering fence."
We need a safe place: a place to feel secure. The psalm gives us the answer: "God alone." God alone, in times of distress, at all times, is our hope, our rock, our salvation and fortress. In Him we have security and safety from every opponent, from every attack on body and soul. This fortress of salvation is secure, built on a firm foundation: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (Psalm 118:22). Jesus our Lord, rejected and despised, battered by his enemies, was the stone the builders rejected. He was nailed to the cross, bearing our sins in His own body, sins that are washed away in His blood. Jesus died and was buried, and on the third day He was raised up in triumph, conquering sin, death, and Satan. On that first Easter morning, a great stone was rolled away to reveal an empty tomb, and the stone the builders rejected became the cornerstone.
"No one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11). Jesus is the cornerstone and foundation of the fortress that is our salvation. He is our hope and security in every attack, in every time of distress. To hear the saving Word of Jesus and by the Spirit's power to build on that Word is to build our house on a rock. We can say of our crucified and risen Lord, "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken." No enemy, no distress, no wolf, no lion, can tear this house down.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You are our rock, our salvation, and our fortress. When we are weak and shaken in days of distress, shelter us with Your mighty power. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- When things are difficult, do you have a specific physical place you go for solace and to collect your thoughts?
- Are you able to wait on God and His timing when you're having trouble with people and/or circumstances? Do you open the Bible during such times in search of answers?
- When others are experiencing trials in their lives, do you feel sufficiently equipped to offer them any truths from Scripture to address their needs?
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
When things are difficult, do you have a specific physical place you go for solace and to collect your thoughts?
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