PS 59: Fortress, Defense, Stronghold

Just like there are God-sized holes only God can fill, there are God-sized roles only God can fill.

Psalms 59:9

O [God] my strength, I will watch for You; For God is my stronghold [my refuge, my protector, my high tower].

In Psalm 59, David describes God as his fortress. Some translations use "defense" or "stronghold" here instead. To better grasp the picture, the AMP version adds the words "refuge," "protector," and "high tower."

God: The Best Refuge and Defense

God is as the defensive tower that sits higher than the city walls and protects the defenseless souls inside. He sits in the high lofts with a better view of the landscape. Unlike us, He can see miles down the road. This defensive architecture is vital in protecting the prosperity and development of what's inside. The city's inhabitants remain invulnerable to threats so long as the wall of defense stands. Man, we have an indestructible stronghold founded on the strength of God's power and God's love.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loves us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

God is a divine being worth bowing to due to His incomparable power and worth worshipping due to His immeasurable love. 

God: The Best Investor and Builder

In the Ancient Near East, the magnitude of fortification reflected the value of the settlement. For example, a wall of great structural integrity would project a great city. That makes sense, as you would likely insure a diamond wedding ring and care less about a cheap costume ring. Whoever plans and carries out such plans of protection must place a high value on the recipient of protection to take on such an investment. 

It is God who has deemed us worthy of defense, and it is God who is the defense. It is God who decided to protect us and leveraged His best resource (Himself). He dedicated the best material to create an indestructible refuge for us.

Towers are not built overnight. He made the most personal and intense kind of investment: God weaved the timeline to this climactic point in history where He put His life on the line. God intentionally sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins (John 3:16), so that He could become our great Protector and Strength. Before the beginning of time, God decided this fate of His was worth the fate of yours. This means God chose to love you (John 15:13) and means God wants to be your refuge.

Us: The Best When We Are Inhabitants

I'm tempted to become my own investor. It's sensible to desire your own safety and security. We should not neglect our well-being.

However, we should never neglect God's position for the sake of our control. Are your plans for security hindering us from allowing God to actually be the God in our lives? 

A few examples:

1. Are you building wealth at the cost of time God would desire you to build relationships instead?

2. Are you securing friendships with a full schedule at the cost of Holy Spirit-led moments?

3. Are you investing in your own freedom and desires at the cost of taking on Christ-centered responsibilities that would actually be more fulfilling?

4. Are you growing your resume of yes's at the cost of spending much-needed time with God in meditation and prayer?

I've likely been at fault for at least one of these in every season of my life. If I spend all this energy building my own walls, it's likely to become a dam that restricts the flow of God's grace into my life. This smaller stream is not due to a lack in God's endless resource, but to the walls I build trying to protect myself. If I attempt to build my own fortress like this, it’s likely to be on an unsteady foundation.

There are a lot of things to fear in this world, but God is the only worthy recipient of fear. There are a lot of things to desire in the world, but none of those will satisfy the God-sized void. Let’s listen to what God says so that we are like a man who built his house on a rock rather than on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27). 

Take note of how Luke records Jesus’ saying: the man who built his house on the rock had to dig deep. 

Luke 6:47-48

Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built.

For God to become our fortress, we must surrender our pride. For God to steady us, we must dig deep in the truth of His Word.

God calls us to abide in Him. Let's leave the God-sized roles to God. He's the best one for the job. Only can He truly protect our souls from hell. Only can He secure a spot for us in heaven.

“God, who is the giver and fountain of all the undeserved goodness I have received, will go before me and lead my way as I march onward. He will meet me in my time of need. Not alone shall I have to confront my foes, but he whose goodness I have long tried and proved will gently clear my way, and be my faithful protector. How frequently have we met with preventing mercy-the supply prepared before the need occurred, the refuge built before the danger arose. Far ahead into the future the foreseeing grace of heaven has projected itself, and forestalled every difficulty. God will enable his servant to gaze steadily upon the foe without trepidation; he shall be calm, and self-possessed, in the hour of peril; and before long he shall look down on the same foes defeated, overthrown, destroyed. When Jehovah leads the way victory follows at his heels. See God, and you need not fear to see your enemies. Thus the hunted David, besieged in his own house by traitors, looks only to God, and exults over his enemies.” ~Charles Spurgeon