Proverbs 18:1-24
Saturday, 02 September 2023
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” -Proverbs 18:10
Life is full of challenges and there is hardly a day we don’t encounter difficult situations, problems and feel helpless— that is when we can run to our Strong Tower- the Lord Almighty Himself in whom is our shelter! Psalm 91:1 says “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Like how a Father ensures the safety of his child, we the children of God are under His wings of protection!
A life of a believer is never promised to be a smooth ride. In the fallen world that we live in, we are bound to come across problems, trials, temptations, pain and perilous times. But the victory for the believer is through Jesus Christ on whose name He has believed and can call upon anytime! Through all such times, one will find persistence during trials, resistance against temptations and calm in perilous times.
We can look into God’s Word for a few examples of those lives for whom God was their strong tower:
Joseph: The life of Joseph was one of integrity and trust in God Almighty. Yet he faced one challenge after another in which his faith in God was tested. Because he refused to bow to pressure when Potiphar’s wife tempted him, he had to face prison on false accusations. Yet God’s loving care took him through all of life’s ups and downs such that his testimony was one of how God raised him from the pit to the palace for His purpose to be fulfilled. Psalm 105:19[NLT] says “Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character.”
Daniel: In the story of Daniel, a decree was passed to use Daniel's faith in God, against him. Yet he continued to pray and was found guilty by the lawmakers and was thrown into the lion’s den. Yet our faithful God delivered Daniel in whom he took refuge. The mouths of the lions were shut, and no harm came upon Daniel. As it says in Verse Psalm 91:15 “…he will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him”.
Paul: When Paul became a firebrand for the gospel, very often his life was endangered. Once there was a plot planned by forty Jewish men to kill Paul and this was informed by Paul’s nephew with the help of a centurion to the commander who eventually rescued him with the help of 470 Roman soldiers. God used the most improbable people in this situation to rescue Paul and guard his life. How great is the Living God we worship! His ways our not our ways! His plans are beyond our understanding!
From all these lives we can understand that when our lives are in God’s hands, He will be our strong tower guarding it from the enemy and from evil. When we go through tough times, remember, God has not forgotten us! He knew us even before we came into this world (Jeremiah 1:5) We the children of God are seated in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6) and He will deliver us and honour us! As Psalm 125:2 says “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore.”
And when you trust in the Lord and begin to see things through God’s perspective, that’s when we can see Him as our Strong Tower to whom we can run and find safety, strength and deliverance.
THINK ON: “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. (Psalm 18:2 NLT)
Listen: 'Blessed be the name of the LORD'