The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the
righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Proverbs 18:10
Scripture holds many names for the Lord, but the one that I
immediately thought of as I read this verse was this: Faithful and True. This is the name John recorded when he saw heaven opened to him and Christ in His majesty.
And I saw heaven
opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful
and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation
19:11)
In a culture where inconsistency and error are prominent,
the Lord provides a place of refuge for His own. Even His very name impresses
upon us the inherent qualities that are part of His nature, that of
faithfulness and truth. His whole character is that, for He cannot go against
His nature. He is not just faithful and true in His actions and word; He is
Faithfulness and Truth itself.
The Lord provides a tower, a strong tower for us: one that
cannot be taken or destroyed by enemies. We are completely and utterly safe
there, because He is our protection. “Here is God’s sufficiency for the saints:
His name is a strong tower for them, in which they may take rest when they are
weary and take sanctuary when they are pursued, where they may be lifted up
above their enemies and fortified against them…The strength of this tower is
enough to protect them; the name of the Lord is all that whereby he has made himself
known as God, and our God, not only his titles and attributes, but his covenant
and all the promises of it; these make up a tower, a strong tower,
impenetrable, impregnable, for all God’s people.” (Matthew Henry) Safety is of
the Lord, and not only does He provide perfect protection, but He also provides
Himself as the strong tower.
It is the righteous that run to it for shelter. The enemy
advances upon it seeking to destroy it, but the saints seek it out for comfort,
healing, and refreshment. The weak are strengthened. The discouraged are
renewed in spirit. The broken are healed, and the just ones rise up yet again. This
strong tower imparts a security that is never uncertain. We reach that security
through prayer and through the Word of God. When we meet with Him and commune
in His presence, He is there to renew our spirit and provide us with His
sufficient grace.
You will not find this type of security or comfort in men,
nor in anything the world has to offer. Only by fleeing to the one Faithful and
True—to His strong tower—will you be fortified against the father of lies;
against the fiery darts of the wicked; and against principalities, powers,
rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness which pervades our old nature and
the rest of society.
“Here is the saints’ security in God. It is a strong tower
to those who know how to make use of it as such. The righteous, by faith and
prayer, devotion towards God and dependence on him, run into it, as their city
of refuge. Having made sure their interest in God’s name, they take the comfort
and benefit of it; they go out of themselves, retire from the world, live
above, dwell in God and God in them, and so they are safe, they think
themselves so, and they shall find themselves so.” (Matthew Henry)
Run to the Rock, your Cornerstone, to find safety. There is
no shame in seeking security and refuge from the God of all comforts. He gives
freely of His peace and provides repose from all trials.
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath
are the everlasting arms. (Deuteronomy 33:27a)
The Lord also will be a refuge for the
oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. (Psalm 9:9)
The Lord’s tower cannot be shaken. He will never be moved,
and His children are secure in Him.
He that dwelleth in
the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver
thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee
with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy
hield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be
afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence
that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall
at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh
thee.
Only with thine eyes
shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made
the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil
befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
For he shall give his
angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee
up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the
lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt though trample under feet.
Because he hath set
his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because
he hath known my name.
He shall call upon me,
and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and
honor him.
With long life will I satisfy
him, and show him my salvation.
~Psalm 91~
In Him,
Kaleigh
