Truly Safe!

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the [consistently] righteous man [upright and in right standing with God] runs into it and is safe, high [above evil] and strong. Proverbs 18:10 AMPC

In human relationships, names are important. Beyond just a mark of identity, we give names to children to reflect our experiences, or as a reflection of where we want to be. From biblical times, the importance of a name is underlined in several places. Destinies have been fulfilled and destroyed on the basis of names. A name is a mark of authority, something signifying individuality. Sometimes too, God had moved beyond names to prove his might and power; ask Jabez, whose name meant 'Pain' but whose life had a turnaround after meeting with God.

Reflecting on today's extract, the name of the Lord is seen as a 'strong tower'. What's in a name, you may ask. A lot. This is God we are talking about. The same one who Abraham trusted, and generations after, David also  trusted, and even generations after, the apostles also trusted. The same God Joseph called on from the prison is the same God Jeremiah called on from the pit and Daniel called on from the lions' den, and Paul called on from prison, and John called on from the Island of Patmos where he was banished. It doesn't matter what the generation looks like; all that matters is that I call on the Lord. He is called a 'strong tower'. A tower is already strong, high and powerful. Adding 'strong' to it could only come from experience and personal conviction.

What happens when it appears as if the name of the Lord 'does not' answer? You read about Stephen, stoned to death for his faith, or John the Baptist, beheaded for speaking the truth to power. Did God fail? Do I measure God's work by physical signs or only when my interests are protected? When I consider the end of the lives of these people, and the results of their sacrifices, I realize that God has the prerogative to answer; I have the duty to run into him. How and when he answers is his right; running into him and staying there is my duty. Safety is in and of God.

The righteous are the ones who are promised safety when they run into him. I must then ask myself: Am I truly dependent on God or have I found alternatives? Do I see God as a rubber stamp, who must approve all I do, or do I trust him with my life, no matter what he may bring? The men of old trusted God with their lives, and even in the face of death, were convinced that God knew what he was doing. Their faith wasn't tied to 'physical things', but to the promise of God's grace and power, irrespective of their physical experiences.

Can I trust God in the same way? Can I surrender all to Him and allow him direct my life? No matter what comes, can I rest in his name, sure that my end will always bring glory to God? Even when I don't know where he's leading, can I trust his workings? Hard questions. His time of favour is here.