Stronghold

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?
Psalm 27:1

‘Stronghold’ is such a powerful word. It is the solid rock amongst thrashing waves; it is the sturdy tree inside a cyclone; it is the harness of rock-climber. A stronghold is whatever stays firm and strong, when everything else is crumbling away.

As my world begins to get busier and more demanding, I am becoming increasingly aware of the importance of having a stronghold. Just as someone caught in violent rapids needs at least a rope to hold on to to survive, so it is important for us to have something to cling to; something that will not budge or move despite the storm raging around.

For me, and for David in the bible, God is that stronghold. He is the one thing that will remain when everything else falls away. Unlike people, he will not leave; unlike money, he will not run out; and unlike everything in this world, he is not limited in any way. Having God as the stronghold of my life is very important for me.

Lately, I seem to be having to let go of a lot of things, including people. Often, I have felt like I am stepping out over the abseiling overhang, having to leave everything and everyone on the platform and abseil down, trusting just the rope … trusting just God. No one else can come down with me. It is just me and God.

The thing with abseiling though, is that the hardest part is the first part … the stepping out over the edge. Sometimes you feel as though your legs are going to buckle or slip as you shift your feet from the top to the edge. It is also here that you first start putting all your trust in the rope. This first part often needs to be done slowly and carefully, making sure there is a balance between moving the feet with letting out enough rope. It is not always easy.

But then, isn’t this like life? Isn’t the hardest part of trusting having to first let go of things and head out on our own? With abseiling, someone else can fix your harness, someone else can walk you to the edge, but stepping over you have to do yourself, and it is imperative that your trust the rope completely.

Lately, I have been feeling as though I am walking out onto the overhang. In the past I have had people supporting me and holding me up, but then at times God has been calling me to the edge, to step out from what is comfortable and familiar, and just trust him to be my stronghold. No one else can do anything for me anymore here. It is just up to me and my faith in my Father.

Unfortunately though, even when we do get over the edge, it is not always just smooth sailing. Even when we have the courage to let go and trust God, for the first part, it can still be very tempting to reach back up for what is familiar. And then even after we ignore those temptations, we are still hanging in midair with nothing to hold onto but the rope! This is sometimes where we are most vulnerable, where we may feel the grunt of the storms.

But God promises to be our stronghold; to be that rope that will not drop us. He promises to hold us, even in mid air, when a storm rages around. He promises to bring us safely to the next place.

When God is the stronghold of our life, of whom, or of what shall we be afraid?