A Mighty Fortress

“God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear...”(Psalm 46:1-2a)

Scotland has castles. A lot of them. Everywhere you look, there's another castle.

In my mind, the most impressive castle in Scotland is Edinburgh Castle. Dominating the skyline of Edinburgh, Scotland, the Castle is set upon a hill above the rest of the city. The hill itself is intimidating—steep, rocky, inaccessible. The stone walls surrounding the Castle, and its stark profile that can be viewed from all directions, give the impression of impregnability. There has been a royal castle on the Castle Rock since the 12^th century; St. Margaret's chapel, which is part of the castle complex, also dates to the 12^th century and is the oldest building in Edinburgh. Through the centuries there have been more than 25 sieges of the castle, making it one of the most attacked places in history. Today it stands as a reminder of the storied history of Edinburgh and the Scottish spirit.

When Carol and I were in Edinburgh, we rented an apartment just beneath the castle, and woke up to this view every morning:

The Edinburgh Castle makes me think of the 46^th Psalm: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea... (Psalm 46:1-2)

The world can be a pretty harsh place. We live in a climate of fear—fear of terrorism, fear of war, fear that the bad guys are going to win. In this kind of adversarial world, we need to hear a word of promise and hope: God is our refuge and strength, always there to help us in times of trouble.

You see, our faith in God is not in vain. We may feel like life is attacking us from all sides, but when our security is based on our relationship with God, then we will endure. The apostle Paul affirms this when he says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?... For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31, 38-39)

We will face trials. There will be times when things go against us. We need Someone to whom we can turn, Someone who will offer us refuge.

Martin Luther suffered greatly as a result of his debates with the church. He was pursued by the authorities. He was persecuted for his position on salvation by grace through faith. It is said that when he found himself under intense pressure, he would say to his companion in the Protestant rebellion, Philip Melanchthon, “Come, Philip, let us sing together the 46^th Psalm.” His love for that psalm became the basis for Luther's most famous hymn: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing. Our helper he, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.”

I can't help but think that when Martin Luther wrote that hymn, he had something like the Edinburgh Castle in mind is his image of the mighty fortress.

A mighty fortress is our God, indeed. God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

When you face trials, where will you turn for strength and hope?