The Lord, Our Fortress | March 2021 Monthly Newsletter
Written by Ps. Nicholas Hung | Senior Pastor of Antioch Gospel Church
Greetings and blessings,
I wonder whether you have ever stopped and paused to think about what it actually means for the Lord your God to be your strength, rock, fortress and Saviour? This is certainly a powerful thought, especially in these times of uncertainty. But what might this actually mean in a practical sense?
David, hunted and on the run from Saul, discovered the powerful reality of God as His rock and fortress and recorded these words in Psalm 18:1-2
“I love you, LORD; you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” (Psalms 18:1-2 NLT)
We all need a place of safety. The locks on the doors and windows of our homes prove our longing and need for a sense of security. But there is nowhere in this world that is as safe as the embrace of our Lord, Who is our strength and fortress.
A fortress is a military stronghold - a strongly fortified town. In a natural sense there is no better place to position ourselves, whether in times of peace or conflict, than in a fortified place. Fortresses are places of security, protected by towering walls, active weapons and sentries on guard. Strong walls of protection provide cover from the battle that rages in the outside world.
David discovered that the Lord Himself is the fortress.
He is the shield and the strong place.
David learned that when he lived his life from his inherited position in Him that he gained great strength and protection by living within the shield of God’s power and glory.
Like David, we’ve simply got to learn to live our lives in full alignment with our God. And it’s when we live our lives IN Christ He truly becomes our fortress. The results are amazing:
Prayer and worship leads us into the places where we know God’s heart and we live inside of His will and purpose, covered by His grace
Obedience and patience activates God’s exceeding great promises and takes us to the place where we inherit all the desired outcomes of those promises
Tithing and giving unlocks God’s generosity over us and surrounds us with a hedge of protection that cannot be achieved any other way
Godly character keeps our feet on solid ground, and saves us from the slippery slope
Upright thinking keeps our hearts and minds in peace and purity and saves us from deception
The benefits that result from choosing to make the Lord our strength and our fortress are far too numerous to name and God’s promises aren’t difficult to access. He longs to cover us, but we must learn as David did, to position ourselves in God – making Him our fortress and strong tower.
Many blessings,
Pastor Nicholas and Grace