Devotion: A Fort Made Of ... (Psalm 61:1-4)

1 Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, 3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Psalm 61:1-4

Forts made up a big part of my childhood experience. My brothers and I, along with our playmates, were always building some kind of fort. In the wintertime, we made forts of snow. In the summertime, we hobbled together salvaged wood, cardboard, and plastic sheeting to build forts. When the weather was nasty and we were stuck indoors, we made forts out of blankets, cushions, and books. But the fort that stands out most in my memories was the fort I made out of bales of straw in the hayloft of my grandparents' barn. Secure in my fort, I successfully fended off the valiant assault of my two brothers in in the great corncob war. It was the stuff of legends.

The purpose of forts is to provide safety and security — or at least a sense of them. While they may have given us a feeling of being safe and secure, none of the forts of our childhoods could protect us from any real threat. A fort made of snow, salvaged building materials, or bales of straw, let alone blankets and pillows, cannot afford any protection against the people or things that would harm a child. Thankfully, most of us grew up without the need of stronger forts than those of our playtime. But now that we have grown up, we need a fort in our adult lives that can defend us against those things, forces, and people that are actively seeking to harm and destroy us. Unfortunately, many adults go through life constructing forts of proverbial snow or straw or blankets to fend off the pain and suffering of broken relationships, abuse, betrayal, crime, shattered dreams, and seemingly hopeless circumstances.

As we celebrate the 497th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, we are reminded that we have a fort that is stronger than everything that assails us in this life. More than a fort of our own construction, this fort is a fortress that God has built for all who look to Him for their safety and security. It is not a flimsy fort made out of the materials at hand, but a fortress crafted according to God's eternal plan and hewn from the Rock of our salvation. When we take refuge in this fort we are assured that in it is "our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." This is a fort made of love, of grace, of power, and of promise. "The God of Jacob is our fortress."