GOD’S HOUSE – OUR FORTRESS OF FAITH

“I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my FORTRESS; My God, in Him I will trust” – Psalm 91:2

GOD’S HOUSE is not only the Citadel of His Presence it is also our FORTRESS of FAITH. A fortress is a fortified structure; a formidable fortification; strong and unshakeable castle. The Lord God is our Rock of Redemption, Fortress, and Strength. Throughout the Psalms, David refers to God as his Rock, Fortress, Refuge, and Strength: “The LORD is my rock and my FORTRESS and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psa.18:2); “For you are my rock and my FORTRESS; therefore, for Your name’s sake, lead me and guide me” (Psa.31:3); and “I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my FORTRESS; My God, in Him I will trust” (Psa.91:2). David faced many physical and spiritual battles in life, but he saw first-hand, God as his strong fortress regardless of the attack.

In the ancient world the fortress was often walled off from the rest of the city, supplied with food, water, and ammunition where the people could be protected and the city could be defended. David knew that he didn’t need to fear, because in God he found a fortress stronger than any attack the world could muster. Most people have the little fortresses that they run to when faced with life’s overwhelming challenges. These can take the form of people or relationships, and material things in life that they think will bring happiness and take their minds off trials and troubles. We must learn however, that the one true Fortress we have is the one true God. He will always protect and will never let down. In His wisdom, He has birthed the Body of Christ – “the Church of the Living, the pillar and ground of the truth” – to be our Fortress of Faith (1Tim.3:15).

Faith is the believer’s primary weapon of defence and offense. As a defensive weapon, we must take “the shield of faith with which…to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Eph.6:16). As an offensive weapon, we must “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life…” (1Tim.6:12). Ultimately, Faith is the Victory: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the Victory that has overcome the world – our faith” (1Jh.5:4). The Church is our Fortress of Faith, because it is the “Household of Faith” where God’s Faith-family congregate (Gal.6:10). The Church is where we hear God’s Word, receive and grow in faith, and learn to walk and live by faith (Rom.10:17; 2Cor.5:7; Heb.10:38). The Church is where we are founded, built-up, grounded, and established in faith: “rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Col.2:7).

Isaiah 4:5-6 speaks prophetically of the Church: “then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For all the glory there will be a covering. And there shall be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and a shelter from storm and rain.” If the rest of the world should ever lose faith, such must never be the case of the Church, having been given the mandate to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3b). Humanity is entering into days in which it will be increasingly difficult to survive spiritually and otherwise without the fortitude of faith that comes from God’s Word. The Church is the impenetrable Fortress of Faith in the raging warfare against Sin, the devil, and the world.

The lyrics of Martin Luther’s classic hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” by Martin Luther, illustrates God’s power on our behalf in the midst of a raging spiritual war. The opening line says: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing…“ The Lord our God is our mighty fortress; His House is our FORTRESS of FAITH!