I love that Scripture paints so many different pictures of our
God. We follow Him as our Good Shepherd,
we pray to Him as our Father and our dear Brother, we collapse into His loving
embrace as our Gentle Savior. And today
especially, we praise and honor Him as our Mighty Fortress. Not a blanket fort that can be quickly folded
and put away. Not a tree-house built of
scraps and dreams. Not even the
strongest, most imposing of earthly castles, seemingly impenetrable in its
prime, yet today abandoned, rickety, aging, empty. We’re talking about an everlasting,
all-powerful, never-failing God.
Early this morning a dear friend gave me some food for thought. She asked me if I have ever really thought
about what a BLESSING infertility has been and thanked God for the experience
(she’s recently gone through quite the rigmarole herself). I thought and
thought about it, and realized I haven’t.
My mind has acknowledged the beauty of God’s plan in bringing Libby to
us, and I’ve thanked Him for the road we had to travel because I was able to
support and be supported by some wonderful friends. But actually THANKED Him for the very thing
that tore me up inside for years and caused me so much hurt and shame?
It seems crazy. It’s easy enough
to do long after the fact, when we’ve had time to see The Plan unfold and our
human minds now comprehend a teeny bit of the plan. But while it’s going on? While we’re being
barraged and assaulted, while the walls are crumbling around us?
Yep. She was right. Because He
is right. Right and good and perfect. We’re
instructed in His word to praise Him in all circumstances. And that doesn’t mean just to praise Him
DESPITE our struggles, for all the other blessings apparent in our life. That means to look those trials straight in the
face and say “THANK YOU, LORD,” whether or not you understand why you’re saying
it.
What is a fortress? The first and easiest answer that comes to mind is
a structure of protection. God gives
many examples in His word and in our lives of how He protects us, and promises
that He always will. He does not promise
that we will always understand His every call as our Commander in Chief. Sometimes He does things to protect us and
keep us close to Him that baffle us completely… we’re crushed by pain or hurt
or grief and what the sinful world is doing TO us in this trial, rather than
recognizing what our God may be doing FOR us through this trial. But He never stops loving, protecting, and
directing all things for our good. He
wraps His everlasting arms around us, mighty as the massive stone walls
surrounding a fortress.
Life was never perfect inside the walls of those ancient structures,
nor are our lives perfect, even with the love of our Lord wrapped around
us. Sin creeps into every corner. Sometimes the greatest threat to the security
of the fortress is internal. History is
full of accounts in which greed, anger, jealousy, or despair crumbled an empire
from within, and the same things happen within us. But he gives us the tools we need to protect the
treasure of the faith He has begun in our hearts.
Alongside the pain and ugliness that resides within the fortress are
some beautiful, wonderful blessings, as well.
A city of believers, full of praise and encouragement, knowing just the
right thing to say, exactly what we need to hear. A loving smile, a warm embrace, a promise
that you will be lifted up in prayer. As
I live my life wrapped in God’s protecting arms, I’ve felt His love through my
friends and family so many times and am SO THANKFUL that He has let them into
my life. And I cherish the opportunities
I am given to be that person to someone else who needs it.
And what else does our God, our Mighty Fortress give to us? Yes, He is
our “trusty shield,” but he’s also our “weapon.” He gives us both defense AND
offense. He doesn’t just place us His arms
to lie still and let Him do all the heavy lifting. He gives us weapons of our own through His
word and sacrament: promises and reassurances and actual, historical accounts
of how He has provided for centuries of believers before us. We take those promises and hurl them at the
world. Occasionally we can zero straight
in on our target, understanding perfectly how God will protect us and work for
our good. More often than not, we can’t
get a good shot. We close our eyes, draw
back, and let our Savior’s arrow fly, not knowing where it will hit. “I don’t know, God, HOW you are ever going to
get me out of this one, or WHEN I will ever see the other side, but you
promised me, you PROMISED, and I’m taking your word for it.”
And that’s what I’m determined to do better after talking with my
friend this morning: hurl those arrows of God’s word blindly at my earthly
troubles. I don’t have to know where
they’re going to hit, I only need to know that they will accomplish their
purpose. I look those trials straight in
the face, I thank my Lord for any blessing He has designed here for me, and then
I deliver the knock-out punch: God’s promise to ALWAYS work for the good of those
who love Him. Then I close my eyes and
lean back on my Savior’s loving arms. "On earth is not His equal."
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