It’s the View that Matters

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.  Nahum 1:7

Stronghold – Hebrew is a language of concrete images; rocks, trees, stars, land, streams, and, of course, fortresses.  So, be a Hebrew.  Draw yourself a mental picture of the idea that God is a stronghold, a fortress.  Do you see it?  Great!  Now let me ask you:  what is the perspective of your picture?  Are you outside the fortress, looking at it from a distance like you would see the famous castle at DisneyWorld?  Or are you inside the fortress, looking out over the landscape, secure behind its walls?  Most of us would draw a Disney image, but the person with a Hebrew mind would draw the picture from inside the stronghold.  After all, it is only my refuge when I am inside.

If God is good, then He surrounds me with His protection.  I am not gazing at the tall walls and iron gates from the outside.  Outside I have no protection at all.  If God is good, then I am inside His fortress, safe and secure.  In order to cement this image in my mind, I can use the sound of the Hebrew word for stronghold.  It is ma’oz.  And just like the castle in the story, The Wizard of Oz, it is my oz, my fortress.  The good God is ma’oz. 

Take a quick look at Psalm 27:1.  You probably won’t see the word “fortress” or “stronghold” there.  But you will see ma’oz.  It is translated “strength.”  “The Lord is my strength” uses the same word translated “fortress.”  This helps us realize something important.  The Lord is not my strength because He empowers me to be strong.  He is my strength because I rest inside His fortress.  I never got any stronger in the process.  This is not spiritual weight-lifting.  All I did was learn the secret of staying inside.  He is the strong One, not me.  He is the Protector, not me.  And He is quite willing for me to run to safety inside His strength.  God does not expect me to be strong on my own.  He expects me to know where to run.  Safety is found in the speed of my retreat to Him, not in the intensity of my attack outside of Him.

We have a hard time with this backwards plan.  We want power.  It is the natural way.  “God, grant me the strength to carry this out.”  Why would He do that?  God is glorified in my weakness!  Perhaps I need another kind of prayer.  “God, glorify Yourself in my inability to carry this out.  Let me run to you.  You are my stronghold.  Let me watch from the inside while You accomplish Your purposes.”