We read in Jeremiah today of a promise made to the prophet as he is sent out on his mission. The promise is that God knew him and loved him from all eternity, and as God sends Jeremiah out, he tells the prophet he is a fortified city. Jeremiah must gird himself with his traveling gear, but he goes knowing he can take on the opponent, in confidence of the strength of his city defenses. And the Psalm continues and expands on that, a song to God as the refuge, the rock and the fortress.

God is our rock against the accusations, and the lies, and the temptations of the Devil. Only in God will we find the strength we need to defend ourselves against the Devil. Satan will never stop hunting us. He is the model for all those Terminator movies: a soulless, untiring, pursuer of his target, and he will crush that target upon acquisition.

Now we know today that Jesus defeated Satan through his death on a Cross and the resurrection at Easter. We know Jesus won the battle, but somehow Satan did not acknowledge that defeat. Satan has not given up his pursuit of us, 21 centuries after that day at Calvary. We are still hunted by the devil, but Jesus did not leave us utterly alone. We are, in many respects, right where Jeremiah and the Psalmist found themselves. We must rely on the Lord to be our sure defense against the power of the Devil. Continue reading “Our Fortified City” →