Strongholds

Visit Corregidor Island in the Philippines, and there you will find a deep tunnel. Originally built to store arms and munitions, Malinta Tunnel was also a stronghold, a safe haven where the bombs and shrapnel of the enemy couldn’t penetrate. It served as a hospital, a haven for wounded soldiers as well as headquarters for General Douglas MacArthur and the American and Filipino troops.

Strongholds are important because they give you immediate security and protection. They allow you to sleep at night without fear of what may happen to you or your children.

During the seven years he hid as a fugitive from Saul, David, the man whom God had chosen to be king, hid in strongholds in the Negev which was a burning, desolate waste which offered little protection from the sun, from thirst and drought and, even more important, from his enemies.

Repeatedly he referred to the Lord as his stronghold, his tower, his fortress. In Psalm 18 he wrote, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 18:2).

“Yes,” you may be thinking, “that worked for David but I’m not so sure it’ll work for me!” How do you know until you try it? Never have I heard someone honestly say, “I threw myself upon the Lord and He pushed me away and told me, ‘You are not good enough,’ or closed the door of help in my face.”

Most strongholds built by human hands have massive, towering doors. The refuge God provides, however, is entered by kneeling. That’s the difference.

Used with permission from Guidelines International Ministries. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, send an e-mail to [email protected]. You may also visit www.guidelines.org.