The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Proverbs 18: 10
Our little guys had a great first few days of school. All went well and they are happy and ready to begin the year! But on Friday afternoon and Saturday, they were absolutely exhausted! Kel offered to take them out for pizza, to take them swimming (which they never turn down), to take them to a ball game, and to get ice cream, but they were not interested! They were perfectly happy just being at home, playing quietly, and being lazy. They had no desire to do anything else!
I think they just needed the security of home and time spent with family. They just wanted to relish the routine, the normalcy of home, and rest in the security of their familiar surroundings. For a short time, they wanted, and needed, to put aside the anxiety of new, uncertain experiences and just rest in what they knew to be safe and secure. Then feeling much loved, rested, and confident, they will be ready to return to school on Monday morning filled with eager anticipation!
Don’t we all sometimes feel the same way? We just want to escape from the world and flee the struggles, the fears, the pain, and the uncertainties of life. How we would love to close ourselves off inside our homes, away from all those things that cause us the most anxiety, and just feel at peace – safe, secure, and free from all life’s cares – at least for just a little while. But even then, inside the comfort and security of those walls, we wouldn’t be able to escape the problems which often seem overwhelming and hopeless, or the pain in our hearts or bodies that cause despair. We wouldn’t be able to forget the evil and injustices that are going on throughout the world. Nor would it change the lack of love, mercy, and kindness in so many hearts, or our own desire to just rest our souls and be away from it all.
During these times, we may look within ourselves to try to find our own courage, determination, and strength to go on. Or we may look to the sympathies and kindness of those close to us to give us their love and encouragement to help us when we don’t seem able to do it alone. But gratefully, there is an even greater refuge that we often overlook in times of our greatest need, and that is resting in God’s loving presence. There is only one source of life and “a strong tower” of defense to help us withstand whatever comes our way, and that is “the mighty name of our Lord”.
He knows what we are facing, He understands our pain and the loss of what is precious and valuable to us, He knows how to relieve and restore our hurting spirits, and He knows how to strengthen us to go forward in faith and hope. He is our “strong tower” who is waiting for us to “run to” the protection and security we need and can find in Him.
As we seek Him and go before Him with our fervent prayers, He will hear the concerns of our hearts and respond with His love, assurance, and strength. Then, we too, will be ready to go back out into the world with confidence as we face an uncertain future and the many life experiences that lie ahead. But how grateful we can be to have the assurance that we can always return to His loving presence when we need it most!
Prayer
Our almighty and gracious God, we thank you for being our tower of strength in times of weakness. We thank you for the assurance of your love to go forward with hope and determination. We honor your most holy name. Amen
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