Good morning,
He is a safe fortress
As a kid, I never enjoyed roller coasters, and now as a senior citizen, I have a strong sense that things like that belong to my kids and their kids, not me. When it comes to living out real life though, I think that I have developed a very different view of the ups and downs and twists and turns of life that I am facing on a daily basis. I guess that is why I find myself going back to the Psalms over and over again to find words and examples of what it means to live a life under the care of my loving and powerful Savior. What I love about men like Abraham and David in the Old Testament and Paul and Peter and John in the New Testament is the way these men learned to deal with the fears and challenges of walking with God without losing sight of the purpose of their lives. Men and women like these godly children of God knew that when they were afraid, their Savior was their hiding place and their fortress. These people teach us that the overwhelming challenges that are built into our life stories are there so that we can be living examples of the faithfulness and loving power of our God.
When David wrote Psalm 28, he had been dealing with some very wicked people who had made life frustrating and fearful. He was being tempted to give up and die if the Lord didn’t do something about the pressures he was facing. After making some suggestions about what the Lord should do about these enemies, the Holy Spirit turned his thoughts away from these problem people and helped him to focus again on his merciful Lord. When David prayed, the Lord turned his frustration and fear into praise and thanksgiving.(v.6) David stopped focusing on his own weakness and began seeing his Lord as his strength and shield. God’s spirit gave him a deep settled trust that flooded his heart. He didn’t need to plan his defense. His heart beat faster, but that was because his heart was bubbling with joy. Instead of the gnawing fears, he now had such joy that he was singing songs of thanksgiving.(v.7) His Lord was giving him the strength that came from the Lord God Almighty. He was reminded again that if his God was for him, he was in the safest fortress and he was in the safest place on earth. His enemies were still all around him, but his Lord was more than strong enough to keep him safe in the battle.(v.8) We may not be a king like David was, but we are children of this same God and have come under his loving care as well. Dear Lord, will you please help us to keep our eyes fixed on you so that our lives will be filled with adventure and praise.
Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. 8 The LORD gives his people strength. He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
Roy Wisner
