Nahum II
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him. (Nahum 1:7 ESV)
Empty Refuge
I was once in a teen-age summer vacation war in the woods near our neighborhood. We fought with bb guns, water-balloons, sticks, and occasionally rocks.
Tired of losing battles, we built a fort out of old plywood sheets, fallen logs, and a few borrowed 2x4s. It was an awesome example of defensive engineering, complete with turrets, gates, and a moat, of sorts.
But one day, as battle was commencing, my team decided to rush the enemy. We poured out of the fort and chased the ‘others’ into the trees. Wow, did we feel triumphant!
Until we discovered that while we were pursuing, the enemy had snuck into our fort.
And once again, we lost the battle.
For the fort to be useful, we had to be IN it.
For the fort to defend us, we had to be IN it.
For the fort to be a fortress, we had to be IN it.
And for God to be our refuge, our fortress, our defense against His enemies, we have to be IN Him, too.
A nametag of “Christian” is not enough.
Being near Christianity is not enough.
But He is a fortress to those who have believed.
He is a fortress to those who call out to Him.
He is a fortress to those who are His in thought, word, and deed.