Sometimes it’s so easy to get so caught up in our reality of today that we overlook the beauty of the analogies in the Bible. The symbolism used may no longer be meaningful for us and so we neglect to understand the beauty of the promises made. As we read them, we skim over them, because they don’t immediately resonate with our everyday experiences.
One such instance of this for me is when the writers of Scripture say that God is a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10, Psalm 61:3.) Maybe it’s because I live in earthquake-proned California, but we don’t have a ton of towers dotting our landscape. And the towers I do know about, like the Tower of London, were places of punishment, not protection. So while comparing the Lord to a strong tower was certainly poetic, it didn’t bring a lot of comfort to my heart.
Until I read Judges 9:51. In this passage, we read the story of a fierce battle waging in Israel. As neighbor is fighting against neighbor, the men and women head to the tower in order to seek protection. It’s a place of safety for at least three reasons:
1) It’s the highest point – so people in the tower can see what’s coming at them.
2) It’s strong – so weapons will not be able to prevail against it.
3) It’s prominent – so when threatened, everyone in the city knows where to go.
Similarly,
1) God has the best perspective on our lives, so when we run to Him, we can trust that He can see what’s coming at us.
2) There is no one more powerful than our God. So we need not fear that any weapon of this world will be able to pull us from His grasp (Romans 8:38-39).
3) Because of His might, it’s easy to see where we should turn in times of trouble.
It is easy to see then why the writers of Scripture identified God as our strong tower. He is our place of refuge, of protection and solace. And when we run to Him, we have no reason to fear.