The Stronghold Of My Life

Psalms 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

I am unashamedly a Tolkien fan. I have enjoyed reading the Lord of the Rings books for many years. The story is interesting and has more than just a small a few Christian applications. One of my favorite scenes is the battle for Helm’s Deep. Helm’s Deep was the stronghold of the Rohirrm (some of the main characters in the Lord of the Rings.) It was a place to make a final stand in the face of evil.

What are you afraid of? It is a question we all should ask ourselves. We all need to know what drives fear into our heart in our waking and sleeping hours. It may be something tangible or intangible. We may a fear of flying, or a fear of heights, or of wild animals or any number of things. The fear of clowns for one person may seem absurd to another person.  But then again their fear may be just a absurd to the person afraid of clowns. There is a nothing to be ashamed of by having a fear of something. At times our fears can be healthy fears that keep us from harm. But they can also be unhealthy for our lives too. It really boils down to not so much of what do you fear, but whom do you trust? Do you really trust the Lord? Do you really trust God with every aspect of your life? Or are you holding something back? Let me elaborate using the Lord of the Rings. The story has the “good guys” falling back to Helms Deep to make a stand against the pervasive evil that was threatening to engulf their entire world. Evil could approach down a narrow valley straight into the doors of Helm’s Deep and with their backs against the wall, the good guys could fight the good fight. They could make a last stand in the face of overwhelming odds because they were fighting in only one direction. That direction was straight at the enemy. And that is just how it is for us each and every day. The Lord is my light and my salvation . The Lord is the stronghold of my life.  When we have God as our stronghold we can face the enemy, Satan, and make a good fight. God will protect us. He gives us the strength, the faith and the stamina to endure all that can be thrown at us. When we hold back part of our life from Him, it becomes a gap in our armor, the armor of Christ, Satan can exploit.  The Father gives us the faith, through the Holy Spirit, to continue to fight in the face of insurmountable odds. And he gives us the assurance of eternal life that cannot be taken away when we keep our faith in Jesus Christ. And he gives us fellow believers to stand along side us in battle. 

Let God be the stronghold in all aspects of your life. Let Jesus be the light that guides you and illuminates your path. Let the Holy Spirit fill you with faith and remove all the doubt to continue onward into battle. With God as our stronghold we really have no one, or nothing to fear. Onward Christian Soldiers!

PRAYER: Lord, You are our rock and our salvation. Your strength comforts and fortifies us. Your Spirit gives us the faith to overcome our fears. Help us dear Lord in our times of struggle and trials. Let the peace that flows from You to keep our hearts free from fear. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen