Hold The Fort

 

W

e had a great backyard.  It had several trees, plenty of neat hiding places for games, an open area large enough for us to play baseball, and we used it for everything from the occasional hide-and-seek game to fighting battles against hostile enemy advances.  The hostile enemy were our friends who lived in the next block.  We would congregate in our backyard, divide up territory, and then fight over it. 

 

As all boys are wont to do, we made great forts in our backyard.  This is a rite of passage for little boys.  They will build forts out of most anything, be it cardboard boxes, sofa cushions, or tree branches.  We were no different as kids.  We had a huge magnolia tree in our backyard and when dad trimmed the branches, we would use them to make a fort.  One year we made one that would have made King Arthur jealous. It was well built; it had several “secret” lookout holes, and came with a fresh supply of magnolia pods that had not opened.  We used these as hand grenades as we held off enemy bombardment from all sides.   

 

Occasionally, we would send out a scouting party to make sure the surrounding territory wasn’t under siege. At such a time, we always left someone to hold the fort just in case an unsuspecting enemy attack occurred.  Holding the fort was exciting and scary at the same time.  While I felt safe inside the fort, I knew I would have a hard time defending it all by myself.  What I wanted was someone else with me, someone who would share in the defense of our fortress, and someone who knew how to fight. 

 

All of this happened a long time ago.  The magnolia tree is gone, the house now belongs to someone else, there are fewer trees in the yard, but the memories I have of that backyard still linger.  I fondly and vividly remember the fort we built as kids and the many lessons it has taught me sense.  One of those lessons is echoed by the words of King David in Psalm 18. If you’ve ever built a fort as a kid or if you have small children in your family who build them, you’ll have a greater appreciation for what David is communicating through this Psalm. 

 

We must remember that David, in addition to being a shepherd, was a warrior.  He knew how to fight and he was good at it. He knew how to choose capable men, how to develop effective battle plans, and how to execute a military campaign.  But David also knew the value of the fortress and that the best offense always stemmed from a sure and solid defense.  If this was important for him as a warrior, it was also a guiding principle in his spiritual walk with God.  In fact, this psalm speaks directly to the importance and necessity of realizing that God is our only sure defense. 

 

Psalm 18:2 reads, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”  David’s words here are not at all what you’d expect from a great warrior.  Instead of speaking about his defenses, you’d expect him to be boasting of his great strength and military prowess, about the superiority of his forces and the strength of his arsenal.  But this is exactly what David is doing.  He knows that with God as his defense, offensively he will have no difficulty in attacking and vanquishing his enemy. 

 

The use of the words rock, fortress, deliverer, and refuge tell us a great deal about David’s view of the Lord.  When David refers to God as his rock, he speaks of God’s strength and eternal protection.  God is a rock that cannot be moved.  As his fortress, the Lord provides a place of protection, safety, and rest.  God is a fortress that is impenetrable.  David also knows he does not have the strength or the necessary means to deliver himself from all the snares of the enemy and all the traps that fill the pathway of life.  God is our deliverer, and nothing can take us out of His hand.  Finally, David takes refuge in the Lord who is our rock.  God’s protection is eternal, solid, sure, and always at our disposal.  When we rest in Him, when He becomes our defense, when we rely on His strength, we are always safe and always enter battle from a superior position. 

 

David also knew that God never left him to hold the fort alone.  Jesus promised he would never leave us nor forsake us, that he would stand beside us in every situation, so that we would never have to hold the fort alone.  As you start this day, please know that with God as your defense and fortress you are never alone.  You are secure in life, you are safe in battle, you are protected from the enemy’s worst onslaughts because God is your strength, your defender, your deliverer, and your protection.  So, don’t be afraid to hold the fort, you’re not holding it by yourself!