Be thou my strong habitation...

Psa 71:3 'Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort…'


A strong habitation. A fortified city. A protected home. Most of us have seen a strong habitation- if not in person then on television or in books. What is the most heavily guarded place you've ever seen? What comes to mind when you think of a strong habitation? Fort Knox perhaps, which is the Bullion Depository where the majority of U.S. gold is kept. That place is one of the most protected, the most fortified, the strongest habitation in the U.S. However most of us do not have access to that sort of protected place.


Where would you go if you were seeking to be protected? A friend's house? A police station? When you're in immediate danger you most likely would run to the nearest home seeking shelter and help from the danger you're in. A person usually isn't very discriminatory when they are in desperate need- though they'd choose a strong house over a little falling down shack if given a choice.


Let me ask another question, where do you go for constant protection, what place to you is a place of continuous refuge? Is it your own home? Most people feel safe in their own homes don't they? Maybe you're coming home late at night and you're in your driveway and feel a sense of foreboding so you rush into your house to safety, that sense of relief as you lock the door keeping out any danger real or imagined makes you feel better almost instantly doesn't it? You've come to a place of refuge.


Throughout life we encounter many frightening situations, we face numerous moments of vulnerability where NO strong habitation can make us feel safe. These are moments of internal terror and panic, of distress and fear, the times when we are filled with anxiety and overcome with worry. You can be in the safest place on earth and still have fear within and no lock or key, no thick walls or strong steel doors can take care of that internal distress.


When David prayed these words- 'Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort…' He was not talking about a physical habitation. He was talking about finding safety and protection in God's love, in God's strength.


Do you have a friend or loved one you might call your 'rock', someone you turn to when you need a strong shoulder to lean on, someone you know will be there to comfort you and help you in any way they possibly can? Maybe you have a whole family of strong shoulders to lean on, or maybe you don't have a single person you can rely upon. Even when we do have family and friends to lean upon all too often in life those strong shoulders seem to disappear, and disappoint. God is one who will NEVER disappear or disappoint. God is forever a strong habitation for us to continually resort to. God is REAL. Too many believe in God in a very abstract way as someone who is there but not really there. When we get to that 'not really there' bit we are not truly believing in God as being as real as you and I are real. God is more real than any of us, God is more sure than a single person, God is a more strong refuge than any earthly habitation will ever be. We have to believe this! David believed this. God was very, very real to David- and God needs to be very, very real to us!


David understood that God was a strong habitation where he could continually resort. He could continually go to God for protection, for safety. God is one who would NEVER betray, NEVER disappoint, NEVER disappear.


Satan has us so confused that we almost instantly BLAME God when things go wrong in life rather than RESORT TO God for comfort. We forget that God is good, that God is love, that God is righteous. We forget everything positive and choose to blame God for NOT letting things go the way we want them too. Not preventing death of a loved one, not stopping a storm from tearing every possession from us, not curing the chronically ill, the chronically pain-filled person's life, keeping new life from us. We BLAME God because we believe He is in control and choosing to allow bad stuff to happen to us without discretion. We believe that God DOESN'T know what is best in the eternal scheme of life. Surely if He knew better He wouldn't hurt us who love Him that way. How can we believe God truly loves us if we equally believe He will hurt us unjustly, that He allows our lives to become chaotic messes on a whim? The two beliefs are opposing, not complimenting. We CAN'T believe one thing and believe the opposite or one of those beliefs is our true belief and the other a false one. We can't believe dark is light and dark is dark. It's one or the other. We can't believe God is evil and love. When we take our OWN sinfilled natures and tack them onto our God we pervert who He truly is. We can say we love someone and then hurt them without concern for them. We can tell someone we love them and will honor them and then turn on them and hate them and dishonor them- WE DO that all the time because we are SINNERS! When we make God like us with the ability to evilly HATE us and LOVE us imperfectly we take away His Godhood and make Him human- we make Him a sinning human. Is it any wonder people question God's love when they take away His status as God? Is it any wonder people question God when they start to believe He isn't love? Satan wants us to believe badly of God or not believe at all in God, either way Satan is pleased.


David prayed-


Psa 71:3 'Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort…'


God is a strong habitation, a place of safety - He holds the safety of our eternal lives within His grasp and it is to God we must continually resort. Not just go to God once as if we are getting a God vaccine good for protection the rest of our lives if we accept Him once. How often do you think of your vaccines- the ones you've received as a child? Or even as an adult? Rarely. Occasionally. Seldom. Often. Never. We need to think of God all the time, part of that is in praying always. We need to always have God with us not the occasional thought - not the brief morning thought, not the mealtime blessing thought, not the nighttime prayer- but always. God needs to be in our lives continually. We need to resort to God continually as the source of hope and strength, of safety, of love. If we fill our lives with all that is depressing and hopeless we are NOT trusting in God, we are not continually resorting to Him but retreating from Him. The further we retreat from God the more hopeless everything becomes. Some might argue that and say that when they deny God and stopped depending upon Him their lives were instantly better. They took over their own lives, taking responsibility for all that goes on with themselves finding strength, hope, and empowerment within themselves making them better people. Do you know what that is? That's Satan gifting them with that belief so they won't find salvation in Jesus Christ. Satan is cunning and will use everything and anything at his disposal to get us to abandon God- he'll use good as well as bad things to trap us to him.


We need to pray as David prayed-


Psa 71:3 'Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort…'


Let us continually resort to You God in all things, in all ways, everyday, all day, without ceasing- knowing YOU are our strong habitation, knowing we can go to You in all situations. Instead of blaming you Lord help us to resort to You and know that all evil stems from Satan and while it is allowed- it is only allowed temporarily when compared to eternity. That the Kingdom of God will one day exist without any evil at all whatsoever and that we can possess the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!


In Your amazing love! Keep us from evil!


Amen.