A Fortress of Salvation
“The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.” Psalm 28:8
I’ve always loved sleepovers. There is something so exciting about inviting a friend to come and spend the whole night at your house.
When I was younger, my best friend and I used to do the same thing every time she would come sleep over at my house – we’d snag as many blankets and pillows as we could find in the house, move all the couches and chairs in my living room around, and build a “fort” to sleep in. We’d use flashlights as lamps, separate different “rooms” with blankets… I think we even grabbed some books off my parents’ bookshelf one time and made a fort-library. Not to brag or anything, but after many years of fort-crafting experience, I’d say our forts were pretty top notch.
Now when I think about it, we probably would have been more comfortable sleeping upstairs in my bed than in sleeping bags on the carpeted floor. But something about sleeping under those forts always made me feel so safe inside, surrounded by the “protection” of different blankets and pillows.
What do the words “fort” or “fortress” really mean? Think about soldiers in a battle – who is more likely to win, the army that is surrounded by a strong fortress, or the army that is running around, unprotected and exposed?
In Psalm 28, we are told that the Lord is our “fortress of salvation”. He protects us from the enemy, and he gives us all of the strength that we need.
His love is greater than any opposition that we could ever face, and he wants to be the shielding, protecting force that keeps us safe in his arms.