No Mighty Fortress For Me?

Eric Gilbert has created a new arrangement to "A Mighty Fortress." He added a tag, "Our God reigns, and He is robed in majesty, Our God reigns ...let us worship and bow down....the everlasting God our fortress.." I have been humming it since church and thinking about God being a fortress. He reigns. He never fails.

It is encouraging that God is a fortress who does not fail and at the same time I am sure you would say that it does not often feel like it when you are being tossed about. My thinking this afternoon revolves around this thought, "Just because He is a fortress does not mean you are protected." He is a fortress. You are not. That means you are not impregnable, you are not always protected from hurt, pain, trouble etc.

I am not sure if I can fully explain the subtle distinction. We can sing of God and His character but that does not make it an automatic part of the elements that converge to make or change our story. He is love; I can feel unloved. He is unshakable; I can be shaken. He is mighty; I can feel impotent. In other words the character traits of God do not necessarily change my situation. God is God and I should not expect Him to rub His "magic" on my soul, problem, or life and give me a perfect dose of love, faith, confidence etc. I should not expect to fully gain that.

What I should expect to gain is an understanding of the gap between Him being a fortress and my broken down walls which should in turn drive me to the cross and my need for Jesus to soothe my aching soul just a bit. This side of heaven I do not think He will quench my need, or put me fully in the fortress but He does bring solace, an "I know you are not like me, My ways are higher and My thoughts are higher then yours. Look to me, I am the fortress and you are not. In this life you will not be complete."

Perhaps just the knowledge of that reduces the mystery and enables me to sing that He is a mighty fortress without expecting all my troubles to magically disappear today. I think Job was brought to that point and Peter and Paul and others. God is. And that is enough. Blessings