Sometimes I forget about the beauty of the Psalms.
I’m reading through the Gospels right now, and I love it – I am seeing so clearly just what Jesus’ passion and purpose was. But today, I looked to Psalm 91. Verse 4 seemed to stick out to me:
“He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
As I sit next to the open window in my living room, I hear the sound of the frogs, the insects, the traffic, and the security guards who open the gate for people coming to our apartment complex. But more than those every-evening sounds, I sense a cool breeze in the trees that’s coming through the open window, the rain that’s falling, and the distant sound of thunder. It seems like such a great moment to take refuge under His wings.
He is my shield – that I understand. But my rampart? At risk of sounding ignorant, I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure what a rampart was… I decided to look at other versions. They used words like “buckler” and “bulwark.” Familiar words… but they’re not any more descriptive to me than the first one!
So, I did what most any Millennial Generationer might do: I asked Google to “define rampart.” Big letters popped up that gave me the quick answer I’ve come to expect from the mega search engine: Defensive wall.
I haven’t had a lot of experience with castles, but I immediately thought back to our November visit to the coastal city of Cartagena, where tourists can pay to tour “Castillo San Felipe de Barajas”, a fortress that has played an important role in Colombia’s history. The castle has high walls, and lots of them.
I think I refer the image of hiding under His wings than that of hiding behind a defensive wall. Being under His wings may imply impending danger, but the image of crouching behind a defensive wall implies war. Whether I’m in a thunderstorm or a dangerous battle, I can trust in His protection.
Sometimes it’s easy to rest and trust. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how we can trust in the middle of the battle as we’re seeing chaos all around us. But all the time, His promise remains: His faithfulness will be our refuge.
Remember His faithfulness today.