God - Our Fortress Series

Psalm 91 - Study 7 – You are my Fortress

We read in Psalm 91:2, “I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust."” (GW)

When do we need a fortress?

In Nahum 1:7, we read, “The LORD is good. He is a fortress in the day of trouble. He knows those who seek shelter in him.” (GW)

The prophet Nahum beautifully portrays to us that the Lord is good, that He is our fortress when we are faced with troubles, and most importantly He knows those of us who take shelter in Him. God is good does not imply that we would face no trouble, but it does reassure us that the Lord has promised to be our fortress, and our shelter in the midst of these hardships.

A fortress is a place of total safety, and kings in ancient times found refuge in them. Everyone who has decided to enter into this fortress to seek refuge in the Lord, are known by Him.

In every situation no matter how hard it seems, we should still be able to say, that the Lord is good because that is what God is always. We read about Job, who was challenged with unimaginable trials but in the midst of all of it Job never once cursed God. He lost everything on one day, but Job was still able to say in Job 1:21, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (ESV). Job had the right perspective that every good thing came from God alone.

All of us have been about our daily chores without even realizing that all that we were able to do, mundane things like going out or shopping were all privileges from God. Suddenly when faced with a lockdown, we realize how many things we have taken for granted. We must acknowledge that God is good and be thankful for everything in our lives.

There are some people who ascribe that when they decide to draw near to God, the trials in their lives seem to increase. They therefore are in doubt if they are on the right path in seeking God more intently. Let us never analyze who God is based on our circumstances, for we can be certain that God is good all the time. The hardships we encounter are only temporary and the Lord is able to remove all of these difficulties from our way to keep us secure in Him. We must have faith to believe that the Lord is more than able to remove these hurdles ahead of us, and clear the way for us.

The Israelites were in deep trouble in Egypt

We read in Exodus 5:19, “The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "Don't make fewer bricks each day than you're supposed to."” (GW)

The Israelites were in bondage to the Egyptians for many long years. As the intensity of these troubles increased they cried out to God. God sent Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from the cruel hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. When Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and sought that he send the Israelites to go out of Egypt to the wilderness to worship the Lord, Pharaoh was angered. In his wrath Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters to withhold from the Israelites the straw that was provided to make the bricks. The Israelites were now in deeper trouble as they had no resources but were still required to make the exact number of bricks that they made earlier.

Pharaoh also scorned Moses and Aaron and questioned them this way in Exodus 5:2, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?” (ESV)

The Israelites thought that Moses and Aaron would bring them immediate relief and deliverance, but instead their troubles increased manifold after they met with Pharaoh. When Pharaoh questioned the authority of God, the consequence was that God sent plagues upon the Egyptians.

In general, people call out to God only when they come to the end of the rope as it were. It is far better to seek the Lord when things are going good. That is why we read in Isaiah 55:6, “Seek the LORD while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.” (GW) This means that if we do not seek God when things are fine, there will come a time when things will be bad, and we will not be able to call on Him.

There are those who question God, just like Pharaoh did, but today when we are struck with a malady, mankind stands dumbfounded with no solution to a major crisis. Science may advance a great deal but we must remember that there is a God who is sovereign and almighty above all human power and wisdom. Whenever human beings becomes rebellious against God there will always be severe consequences that we will have to face.