A Mighty Fortress

A Mighty Fortress

You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. Psalm 31:20

DAVID WAS USED TO CONSPIRACIES. For years he lived in exile while a mentally and emotionally unstable king sought to kill him. He found himself at the center of civil war as he ascended to the throne of Judah and then all of Israel. One of his own sons rebelled and fostered an uprising. And David died with enough ambiguity in his succession plan that his son Solomon had to forcefully claim the throne. As a king, he was well acquainted with political plots and maneuverings. On a personal level, we can hardly relate to such conspiracies.

Or can we? We live in a world filled with deception at nearly every level. Most of us have endured seasons in which the odds seemed to be stacked against us and things went from bad to worse. In our struggle to get ahead, many of us keep hitting ceilings, glass or otherwise, that effectively keep us in our place, even though we know our place in God’s purposes is higher and better than our station in this world. These limitations and challenges seem awfully orchestrated at times, as if life and circumstances were coordinating a vast conspiracy against us. Whether such a plot is imagined or not, we long for that place of shelter in God’s presence, where those who conspire against us cannot touch us.

God gives us free license to pray for that. It’s a promise in his Word, a desire of his heart, a repeated offer that we have every right to enter into by faith. He describes himself as a shield, a rock, a fortress, a protective angel or great bird inviting us into the shadow of his wings. He knows how to manage our reputation, vindicate us when we have been mischaracterized, misdirect enemy plots and even cause them to backfire, and protect us from every kind of harm. In a world of spiritual darkness, confused beliefs and arguments, hidden agendas, and animosity toward God’s people, we find David’s words startlingly relevant. They are God’s promise to us, in all ages, that he is standing vigilantly between us and dangerous elements. We can pray it back to him with conviction.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing.