Fear Not #5 – God Our Fortress

In ancient times, a fortress could be a naturally defensible location like a rocky outcrop or a cave, a garrison fort, a fortified city, or a citadel within a city.

As a young boy, I enjoyed building “forts” in the woods with fallen tree limbs and branches. I would hide in my fort in my battles and triumphs against an imagined enemy!

According to the psalmist, “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7).

The Lord Almighty is the God of all people. He is the Commander of his angel armies. He guards us as his holy people. We are on the Lord’s side, and he is with us.

Why is he also called the God of Jacob? Because he is also a personal God. He extended mercy and grace to Jacob, a man who had serious character flaws and who later became the great father of Israel. God likewise extends his mercy and grace to us.

The psalmist is emphasizing that God is for all people and for individual people. As a high fortress, God himself is our place of defense, protection, security, stability, and strength.

Present circumstances may look differently for different people. But you need not fear. Whatever difficulty you’re facing, however strong, it will not overpower you. Because the Lord of heavenly Armies, the God of all Grace, is your fortress.

A television commercial starts with a young girl standing alone in a picturesque meadow. The camera then pans to another part of the field where it shows a gigantic African rhinoceros. The ominous beast begins a lethal charge towards the girl, whose serene and happy face remains unmoved.

As the rhinoceros gets closer, the words appear on the screen, “Trust is not being afraid.” A split second before the rhino tramples the helpless child, it stops, and the girl, her smile never wavering, reaches up and pets the animal on its massive horn. The final words then appear, “even when you are vulnerable.”

The commercial was designed to tout the abilities of an insurance company to protect its clients from the uncertainties of life.

How much more does it describe us as Christ followers, who can confidently say with the psalmist, “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

As you think about God as your “fortress” what does this image look like for you today? Where do you need to see God as your fortress?

~ Pastor Dave