Every animal knows how to scurry to a refuge when being preyed upon, pursued or threatened. Some dive into a hole in the ground, some climb a tree, some run into a thicket, some hide in tall grass, some rely on coloration or configuration to make them blend in and become invisible.
There are many times in life when we feel like we are being preyed upon by Satan, the world and even our own weaknesses. We feel the need to flee. As one bumper sticker put it, “When the going gets tough the tough head for the hills.” That means to run for refuge, to flee the trouble and to seek safety.
One of the most horrible times when the going got tough was 20 years and 1 day ago. Who could forget the cowardly, despicable attack on America on 9/11/01? The attacks, often referred to as 9/11, were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the militant Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda against the United States of America.
That band of Satanic thugs struck fear and retaliatory rage into the heart of every American. And nothing in my recall has driven more people, at least for too brief a time, to run to, and to seek refuge in, God. Many, even of those who had never lifted a word of prayer, cried out, “Hear my cry, O God; Give heed 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 a refuge for me, A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” Psalm 61:1-4 (NASB). For the believer, the refuge is a tower that will not fall.
There are all sorts of towers in the world.
• The tower of Siloam Jesus spoke about, which catastrophically fell and resulted in 18 deaths.
• There are towers which hold up high voltage wires.
• There are towers from which forest rangers observe the woods for fire.
• There are towers from which air traffic controllers guide the flight of millions of aircraft.
• In New Mexico, I used to work atop 100 foot towers tracking missile launches.
• There is the Eiffel Tower in France.
• There is the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy.
But let’s consider a tower that will never fall. The encouraging truth is that “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10 (NASB). And the Psalmist adds, “In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape; Incline Your ear to me, and save me. Be my strong refuge, To which I may resort continually; You have given the commandment to save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.” Psalm 71:1-3 (NKJV).
I. WE HAVE A STRONG TOWER:
A. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower.”
1. The name of the Lord has the Divine power
a. To quiet troubled hearts.
b. To vanquish Satan and to overcome temptation.
c. To cast out demons.
d. To heal our broken hearts and crushed spirits.
2. Though Satan and the world seek to intimidate and control us, invoking the name of Jesus connects us to the entire power and every resource of deliverance in Heaven.
3. So in time of attack, call on the name of Jesus. When you do you find a strong tower, because “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13 (NASB).
B. David said, “I will hide in God, Who is my rock and my refuge. He is my shield And my salvation, My refuge and high tower. Thank you, O my Savior, For saving me from all my enemies.” 2 Samuel 22:3 (TLB).
C. When trials and troubles, tribulations and temptations come, we need somewhere to flee, a tower that will not let us down when things are most difficult. How important it is to have someone to trust, a non-collapsible tower in time of danger, fear, and need. We have such a tower of refuge!
1. “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” Psalms 46:1 (NLT).
2. “For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.” Psalms 61:3 (NASB).
D. One woman thought she would construct a strong tower. She was anxious and worried about intruders, so Geraldine McKinsey rented an apartment on the 5th floor. She installed a steel door with 5 dead bolt locks and 3 chains and then put a brace between the knob and the floor. The windows were barred and shuttered.
Geraldine had a heart attack and called 9-1-1. Tragically, it took rescuers too long to penetrate her tower of refuge and she died helpless. All in a quest for safety and security. Ironically, that which was supposed to provide safety actually contributed to her death.
E. But those who run to the Lord find a truly strong and safe tower. But there is more
II. WE HAVE A STRONG TOWER TO WHICH WE CAN CONTINUALLY RUN:
A. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it.” Towers may be impregnable, sturdy, immutable and just plain old strong.
1. But if they are also inaccessible, they are as useless as a house of cards.
2. But our tower is nearby, always available and open to us. It is as David prayed, “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress.” Psalms 71:3 (NIV).
B. Marlene and I were in a Pizza place when a guy came in and immediately the manager shouted, “You! Get out of here! And don’t come back! You are not welcome here!”
1. Conversely, God is constantly calling us to come to Him; God is never sending us away from Him. “The righteous run to it and are safe.”
2. “Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David.” Isaiah 55:3 (NASB).
3. He calls through Jesus, “Come to Me and I will give you rest — all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear My yoke — for it fits perfectly — and let Me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens.” Matthew 11:28-30 (TLB).
4. And, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away.” John 6:37 (NIV). “Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to Me.” John 6:45 (NIV).
C. He will never grow tired of us coming;
1. He will never treat us like we have the plague.
2. He will never shut us out.
3. There is no covid quarantine.
4. He is not unpleased to see us coming.
D. A friend of mine went to visit some family members and as he approached the door, he saw the woman of the house look out the window and read her lips, “Oh, no! He’s here again!” Talk about feeling unwelcome! But the welcome mat is always out at the tower of God.
E. Time after time my children have crossed my threshold, and every time they found welcome, acceptance and a refuge. I never tire of their coming – and God does not tire of ours.
We have a strong tower to which we can run at any time, as often as we choose.. And let me say further:
III. WE HAVE A STRONG TOWER TO WHICH WE CAN CONTINUALLY RUN AND BE SAFE:
A. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.” There is a false and deceptive security people find in the world. When trouble comes we may seek towers for security: We think we will be safe and secure if we have these towers:
1. We may seek the tower of pleasant pastures: “If I can just create a happy and comfortable life, I’ll be secure.” But, if our pastures are brown or our experiences are bad, our security is nil.
2. We may seek the tower of positive persuasion: “If I feel saved, I’m saved; if I feel forgiven, I’m forgiven; if I feel loved, I’m loved; if I feel secure, I’m secure!” Yet, if we feel emotionally down or far from God, our sense of security dies.
3. We may seek the tower of privileged position: “If I am prominent and well established in society and in the eyes of my peers, I am secure.” But if we are overlooked and passed by, our security is wrecked.
4. We may seek the tower of plentiful possessions: Like the rich man in Luke’s Gospel we may feel that our possessions assure us of long and good and secure living. Jesus says, however, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15 (NIV).
5. We may seek the tower of personal performance: “If I do good and don’t make mistakes, I’ll be accepted and even God will have to approve of me!” However, if we fall short or don’t succeed, our security falls, too.
B. Sometimes our towers fall, too; that is our security fails us. Our security is shattered. What we trust lets us down. In that regard we are often just like Charlie Brown. Lucy holds the ball and Charlie Brown runs up to kick it. The problem is, Lucy always yanks the ball away just as Charlie tries to boot it and he falls flat on his back. Charlie just shouldn’t have trusted her. But he did and he fell.
C. When our towers fall, whatever we were trusting didn’t hold up and we were caught in the collapse. What we most trusted was not, in the final analysis, trustworthy. These towers fell because they were built on false hopes and unreliable foundations of security.
1. They are like the Tower of Pisa which is falling; gradually, almost imperceptibly. Efforts have been made to slow or stop the tilting, but the marshy ground on which the tower is built won’t forever support the structure. It will fall. So will every life, every activity, every form of security not built on solid foundation. Some towers collapse, so let us run to one that will never fall.
2. Trusting the wrong tower is being like Charlie Brown falling flat in crises.
D. But, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe.” Remember with me this story of safety and rescue: A certain man lived in an area that bounded with wild deer. One morning as he was walking across the meadows, he heard the baying of hounds in the distance. As they approached, he saw that the object of the chase was a young doe, very weary, its tongue hanging out, and panting with exhaustion.
Hesitating for a moment and gazing about in a pathetic and frightened manner, the animal saw its pursuers closing in. Its first impulse was to run again, but instead, it fell defense less at the feet of the man. He said, “I stood there for some time with a stick in my hand, fighting off the barking dogs. I was determined that none of them should capture the little deer which in its weakness had appealed to my strength!” The little deer had found a sure refuge, a strong and available and safe tower in the man.
E. Poor weary, despairing, defeated soul – when the enemy is strong and you are weak, run to the tower and be safe.
Those who seek God will find Him; those who find Him will discover that He is a sure and safe tower. Run to Him in time of trouble; don’t waste time accusing God for those troubles. Run to Him; you’ll find welcome; acceptance; forgiveness; salvation; peace; hope and life.
He requires that you have faith; that means believing, trusting and obeying. When our towers fall, it is a call to change towers.
• That means turning from sin and turning to Jesus Christ.
• That means ceasing to put your hope and confidence in things or people that will fail you.
• That means putting your hope in God. .
As we sing, will you take that step? Will you make that decision? Would you put your trust in Jesus? WILL YOU TURN FROM SIN IN REPENTANCE, AND BE BURIED WITH HIM AND INTO HIM IN BAPTISM AND THEN LIVE WITH AND FOR AND IN HIM?
When you do, you will find a strong tower to which you can continually come; a strong tower which will never fall; a strong tower which affords safety. Out of all that troubles you, harms you, pursues you, run for cover in your strong tower – He calls you, so answer, “Jesus, I Come.”
