God is My Fortress
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying Psalm 18:1-2 together. Psalm 18 was penned by David after God had delivered Him from the hands of his enemies, and is rich with metaphors describing the nature and character of God. In this series, we will be looking at how each of these attributes affords us a greater picture of God’s care for His children, and how knowing and believing these truths can bring comfort to our hearts in the midst of grief. As we study together, we encourage you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you study these names of God along with us!
GOD IS MY FORTRESS
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Psalm 18:1-2
“He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge.”
Psalm 144:2
READ:
When I think of a fortress, I envision a castle high on a hill with impenetrable walls of defense—a fort that is inaccessible except to those it serves to protect, or a snare to those captured. But when I read David’s story in 1 and 2 Samuel, I don’t think of such a fortress. I read about a man who faced his enemies with simple weapons and hid in the wilderness; his physical barriers were always subpar.
The fortress that David knew of was greater, it was a spiritual hiding place. He acknowledged and established this spiritual fortress early in his life when he faced his first major attack against the Philistines saying, “But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel; for the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:45; 47 NKJV). David knew, when facing Goliath or Saul, that even the strongest armor or the deepest cave would not be enough to protect him. The fortress he was hidden in was much greater, it was God Himself.
“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust….So I shall be saved from my enemies.”
Psalm 18:2; 3 (NKJV)
While reading the Psalms, I would often struggle to relate to David’s deep cries of desperation until I experienced the death of our long awaited child. In Psalm 18, David eloquently exclaims God’s divine protection from physical death at the hand of men who relentlessly pursued him. Although I’ve never run from someone who sought to kill me, I’ve certainly run for protection from the enemies my grief conjured up. Depression, anger, jealousy, fear, and utter sadness sometimes chased me and threatened my joy, contentment, and mental safety. Alas, I found no castle on a hill that I could hide myself in to avoid the pain my loss provoked. Through my own struggles, I learned the only way to be safe from those enemies was to continually hide myself, as David did, in God, my fortress.
While God, by nature, is a fortress always and forever, it is critical that we, His followers, build our fortress—that is His truth—around us for personal protection. This requires knowledge and understanding of who He is and His plans for creation. It isn’t erected overnight, but a stronghold built brick by brick around our lives, one prayer and submissive thought at a time. The truth of God’s Word is the mortar that holds the walls together as a binding force of protection, and the Holy Spirit is our stone mason helping guide our construction.
Satan’s lies cannot invade such a trustworthy barrier, because that fight for contentment and obedience in the midst of trial is the Lord’s. I found that when my grief was too much to bear, I had to hide myself in Him. Practical ways I personally accomplish this in my life are: writing something I’m thankful for daily, having times of personal worship, “taking my thoughts captive” (2 Corinthians 10:6), dwelling on the Psalms, and having an eternal focus when the temporary is overwhelming (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
Let us all remind ourselves each time we approach a new enemy in our grief that He is our fortress.
REFLECT:
- What steps do you need to take in order to build up your fortress of truth in grief?
- How has God been a fortress to you in sorrow? In what ways can you seek the safety of His presence in greater ways?
JOURNAL:
Read through Psalm 18 taking your time and dwelling on the words. End your time of reflection with giving thanks to Him as David did in v. 49. List the ways that you’ve torn down your fortress or prevented its building during your time of grief. Identify lies you’ve believed surrounding your loss that have threatened God’s protection of truth, and replace those lies with truth from God’s Word.
- Kayla
Hope Mom to Anna Joy
I am married to Justin and Hope Mommy to Anna Joy. We live in sunny south Florida where I love reading, writing, teaching, and just being with family & friends! I work in the hospital as a RN, and humbly serve as volunteer Nurse Manager at our local pregnancy resource center, Care Net. My personal ministry passions include leading women to deeper understanding of Jesus’ truth through their marriage struggles, sexuality, and miscarriage.
We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays we feature Hope Moms’ stories in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.
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