Strong Tower

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever” (Psalms 61:1-3 ESV).

Do you have a safe place? Somewhere you take refuge when life becomes overwhelming? Some people have a physical “happy place” where they can go when life becomes stressful.

But it doesn’t have to be a physical place at all. It could be an inner sanctuary, a place deep inside of you where you can create some mental, emotional and spiritual space amidst the chaos going on all around you.

As an introvert, I take my sanctum sanctorum wherever I go. The house of the Lord is my “happy place.” I’ve chosen Psalm 27:4 as my verse for this year. “One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (ESV). I have found in the Lord a place that provides peace and calm, and it is never more than a word away. “Abba!” Regardless of the storms that surround me I can retreat to my Strong Tower and find refuge and peace.

Once upon a time in television land when someone was beside themselves in fear, frustration, or anxiety, someone would inevitably slap them across the face to get them to snap out of it and think rationally. Sometimes a slap is what we need, but the Father has a superior method. When we allow ourselves to be led by the Shepherd, He brings us to a place of peace and restoration. “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2-3a ESV, emphasis mine).

Oftentimes we fight and fight in an effort to force a calm. But the fact is, fighting never really leads to peace. When we surrender to the hand of God He puts us into the impenetrable fortress of His protection. Problems may not go away–they most likely won’t–but we can find peace and calm in the midst of the storm. He is a Strong Tower!