1390) When I was young, my brothers and neighborhood kids used to make forts. Depending on what materials were available, some forts were stronger than others. Sometimes we made these forts out of blankets, draped over living room furniture. Sometimes we made these them from tree branches and scrap construction materials. As you can tell, some of our forts were stronger than others and they truly did not meet up to the general definition of a fort(ress).

A fortress in Bible times was usually a place that had walls around them. Some of these walls were big enough to drive horses and chariots on top and even had room to turn the horses around and go back the other way. Some fortified cities had two such walls around them. In parts of the walls, there were guards that were continually on duty, watching out for enemies.

In 1 Chronicles 16:11, David tells us to search for the Lord because of his strength. This word, strength, in Hebrew can be translated, fortress. The picture this paints is beautiful. God is protecting us, watching for enemies. Does this mean he never allows others to cause difficulties for us? Does this mean enemies won’t sometimes wound us? The answer to both questions is no.

God is our fortress, who is always on guard and he promises he will not give us more than we can bear. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Yes, it seems that God’s idea of “more than we can bear” differs greatly from what we think but he’s always working for our good.. If you are doubting the goodness of God, remember, God is love (1 John 4:16) and everything he does is from that source within him.

You are solidly protected.