Your Strong Tower

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Your Strong Tower
January 25, 2022

by Arlene Pellicane

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)

“Mrs. Pellicane, this is the nurse's office. Your daughter Lucy is here. She was hit in the eye with a rock. I think you better come pick her up.”

Now that was a call I was not expecting (ever)!  I quickly gathered my keys and purse and headed to school. The mama-bear part of me was thinking, Who would do such a terrible thing to my daughter? But the mama heart in me just worried if Lucy was going to be OK.  When I woke up that morning, I did not expect to be called into school for a problem like this. Thankfully, when we face sudden problems in life, there is a safe place we can run to. Today’s key verse reassures us that “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

In Hebrew culture, a name wasn’t a mere label but was usually an expression of the character of a person. God’s name “LORD” is associated with His character as Savior of His people.  I called out to the Lord, our Savior, for help during my drive to school. There, I found Lucy sitting in the nurse’s office with an ice bag over her left eye. Her eye that was showing was red and puffy from crying. “It’s going to be all right,” I said. “What happened?”

Unfortunately, during lunch, a group of kids were goofing off and someone yelled out there was going to be a fight. Middle school rumble! This brought bunches of kids running like a stampede. In that mad dash, someone threw a rock hard and it happened to find its mark on Lucy’s face.  It’s hard to see our children shaken by trouble or physical pain, but you know what?

At the end of the day, Lucy and I both could see evidence of how God took care of us over and over again.  When we were waiting in the urgent care office, one of our friends was working there and came out to the lobby to comfort Lucy.  Lucy was diagnosed with a scratched cornea and nothing else. A few eye drops and a little time, and she would be just fine.  That evening at church, Lucy heard the new youth pastor and liked him right away.  Lucy and I learned that, although she got hurt at school, she could find comfort in Christ and trust Him to help her. She reframed that bad experience and returned to school the next day without any hesitation. Unfortunate events can have a silver lining when they cause us to run to the name of the Lord for help.  Trauma can occur in a host of ways, and each time it can be incredibly damaging. Thankfully, no matter the size of our suffering, God is still waiting for us with open arms. He wants to hear our troubles, comfort us and bring us peace.  We may live in troubling times, but we have a God who is a very strong tower!  How wonderful to know that, when we face danger, we can run into the strong tower of His name and be safe. My security (and my children’s security) is based on God’s character as a Savior. My security isn’t based on my bank account, where I live or whether my kids are healthy. The security God offers can’t be shaken by anything let alone one rock hurled by a middle schooler!  Maybe you have a few rocks heading your way. A friend who has turned on you. A spouse that’s preoccupied. A teacher sharing troubling values with your kids. Anxiety closing in. Don’t run to distractions like food, YouTube, social media or becoming a workaholic. Run to God instead. Picture yourself entering that strong, fortified tower, a safe place against any enemies who may be pursuing you.  You are safe in the arms of Jesus, and there is no better place to be.