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| The Strong Tower by Cadi Nobles |
| “The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” Proverbs 18:10 The situation is easy to imagine: a soldier in the Army of God suddenly finds himself in unfriendly territory. Having gone too far with his own ideas or curiosities about the world around him, he has wandered too far from his area of defense. While the journey may seem worthwhile and the path and terrain friendly, there is an army of darkness that is watching his every step. At some point, our soldier crosses the line of safety and is suddenly flanked on all sides by the enemy. Initially, the reaction is fear. A sense of overwhelming numbers as he sees the troops of darkness preparing their assault. Like Elisha’s servant, the sense of doom may cloud his ability to see his own reinforcements. Yet, there in the distance is a Strong Tower. This place of refuge is the name of the Lord, Immanuel-God With Us-Jesus Christ. Our soldier sees this pavilion and runs to its sure safety. In doing so, he is acknowledging his own failure to follow orders, accepting that it was his own lack of discipline that brought him to this point of desperation. But, at heart, the soldier is righteous, and his repentance is rewarded with refuge. Every Christian that bears the armor of Christ will, at some point, wander away from their assigned duties. Even the best intentions of helping a lost soul or giving aid to a friend may not be included in the orders that we have each received from the throne of God. As we journey farther into our own ideas and opinions, we can easily lose contact with our mission and our Commander. Like a scout that has pushed too far ahead of the advancing party, we can find ourselves opened to attack and capture. Yet our army is strong; and our leader is all-powerful. In His infinite wisdom, He provides the strong tower. As we realize our mistake and see the severity of the situation, the tower is there. It doesn’t run to us, we must run to it. That is our act of submission. Our acknowledgment of guilt. Once inside its safe haven, the forces of evil have no power over our destiny. We have yielded to the protection of Jesus, and find sure comfort in His love. There is redemption in Jesus Christ. Every sinner that receives the gift of salvation knows the wonderful peace that is felt deep within your soul as you come to Christ. No other love or security can even be compared. Poets and prophets have tried for centuries to describe this feeling to the unsaved. Though an admirable goal, it is also unattainable. It is something like trying to understand the sense of security and comfort that the lost soldier feels as he runs under the shadow and crosses the threshold of the Strong Tower. |
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