by Dr. Richard Blackaby
There is something both comforting and impressive about a fortress. If you are a defenseless peasant, vulnerable to an enemy invasion, then you take comfort in a fortress that guards the road leading to your farm. If you are an enemy seeking easy plunder, a fortress causes you pause for thought. Regardless of what side you are on, it is hard to remain indifferent to a fortress.
In the opening chapter of the book of Jeremiah, God makes a somewhat unusual promise. He declared: “For behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.” (Jeremiah 1:18-19).
What is somewhat unusual about this passage is that God uttered these words to a timid teenager! Earlier the youth had declared he did not even know how to speak, now God is assuring him that the entire land will raise up against him but he will be as an impenetrable fortified city.
God was calling Jeremiah to a solitary calling. He was to stand up for God’s word even though the entire nation hated what he was saying. Jeremiah was being instructed to be entirely politically incorrect! Every time Jeremiah spoke, people would boo and roll their eyes. He would be mocked and slandered. He would be meticulously kept off of everyone’s invite list during the social season. And, to make matters worse, this was not a temporary calling, but one that would last Jeremiah’s lifetime.
No wonder he is called the “Weeping prophet!” How could anyone endure such a difficult assignment? From a human perspective it was impossible. But, thankfully, along with giving us an assignment, God grants us the capacity to handle the task. God developed Jeremiah into a fortified city. As a result, the tender, sensitive youth could endure decades of scorn and opposition.
The truth is that we live in a day of political correctness on steroids. Society becomes angry not only at what we proclaim, but even at what we believe. Not only are people offended when we disagree with them, but they feel slighted when we do not enthusiastically affirm them. It is a difficult time to uphold God’s standards.
However, just as God developed Jeremiah into a fortress, so He can make us strongholds of righteousness in the places we live and work. Not only will we be able to resist the pressures and attacks that inevitably come, but we can also become safe havens for those who would otherwise be victimized by the secular forces that pervade the land. Perhaps God has placed you in your workplace to provide a refuge to others. God may have led you to your neighborhood so your family could be a preserving influence on your neighbors. Your children may provide a stabilizing presence in the lives of their friends.
It can be a challenging calling to be a stronghold. Yet those who find safety in its walls will be forever grateful that you stood strong in the day of calamity. Seeing the impregnable walls of a powerful city brought hope and comfort to those who were endangered. May it be that when your colleagues or neighbors or friends observe your life, they gain hope. May you stand firm in your convictions. May you refuse to compromise your values and beliefs, regardless of the pressures that mount against you. May you resolve that there is simply too much at stake for you to succumb to the onslaught of the world against your faith. May you allow God to build your life into a stronghold of righteousness that advances His kingdom and brings safety to those who dwell within its shadows.