The Stronghold of the Sacred King

In the quiet walls of His refuge.

Where the storms bow to His strength. This haven built by Holy hands  with walls of grace and gates of peace

Is where our souls find rest.

“The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble; And those who know Your name will put their trust in You For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”  (Psalm 9:9-10).

The promises from these verses keep coming back to me, how “The LORD will be a stronghold for the oppressed… A stronghold in times of trouble.” Our strong-tower which we can run into and be safe; find security and rest. Where we can remain hidden in His love. Sheltered in His grace and held with His divine everlasting arms. Oh how we need this refuge. How tired, battle weary, and war-torn we can become; Sometimes needing to be carried in and rescued. A place where we can let go, lay it down, fall apart, and let the floodgates open. Receiving mercy, compassion, and understanding. Strengthened, encouraged, refreshed, and renewed. A refuge for every weary-traveler; healing waters, for every aching heart and hurting soul. The LORD Himself is there to meet us. And His arms are opened wide. His gentle words like a healing balm that soothes our souls; Like “Honey from a rock.” (Psalm 81:16). “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).“ They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19:10). “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” (Proverbs 16:24).

“One of God’s promises to His children recorded in Psalm 81:16 is that He will satisfy us with “honey out of the rock.” Of course, you and I know that honey is perhaps the sweetest thing that nature can produce; and a rock is one of the hardest things in nature.

So, here we have sweetness coming out of hardness—“honey out of the rock.”

This is one of God’s promises, and you should claim it for yourself.

God is not speaking in literal terms in Psalm 81:16; you and I get honey either from the honeycomb or from a jar. The Lord is saying something much deeper: “You are going to have hard places in life; you are going to run up against the rocks. But don’t be discouraged: I’m going to give you honey out of the rock. You’re going to experience sweetness out of the hard experiences of life.”

Warren W. Wiersbe

The Bumps Are What You Climb On:

Encouragement for Difficult Days.

“Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). During hard times in the desert, the Israelites thought God had abandoned them. But Moses reminded them, “The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf… In the wilderness… you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son.” (Deuteronomy 1:30,31). Although it may feel as if the LORD is far from you, always remember that He carries you and is working in the unseen. (1 Cor 2:9; 2 Cor 4:16-18). "But just as it is written,

Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9). "We have no idea all that God wants to do in and through us. In our limited understanding, we have yet to imagine what is possible for us – the intimacy with the LORD, power, the freedom, spiritual blessings, and peace that belong to us when we become His children (Eph 1), but God – who is perfect in His knowledge and wisdom – does. And His Holy Spirit, who indwells us from the moment of our salvation, reveals the depths of His purpose and plan to us through His word when we seek Him.” - Charles Stanley.

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4: 16-18).

I love this reminder here that “God is working in the unseen.” It’s so easy to forget that sometimes. We can get so focused on the here and now - looking for what God is doing or why; that we miss that He is working (or still working) in the unseen. This is especially comforting when we see no movement or change. When we cannot comprehend the reason(s) why God allows it or doesn’t change it. He’s still working in the unseen. We can wait quietly and patiently in the LORD God our stronghold. We can draw upon His resources, and drink from His unlimited well knowing it will never run out. We can hold on to His promises, to anchor us in the storm, and keep us close to His heart. We can rest secure in knowing He will rescue, shelter and shield us in the midst of our battle; And will fight for us.