God’s Name - My Strong Tower

Proverbs 18:10 (ESV) “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous man runs into it, and is safe.”

I’ve been fascinated recently with the documentaries that use computer simulation technology to dig into the ancient ruins of civilizations that existed during the time of the Old Testament and particularly the walled cities with watchtowers placed at specific intervals. These towers were not for decoration — they were defensive and key to the city’s survival. When an enemy was spotted on the horizon, the watchtower was the one place strong enough to defend the city and hold against anyone trying to break in. When under attack, people didn’t wander toward it casually. They ran.

That’s the picture that King Solomon paints here. The righteous are in their walled city, and as the enemy approaches threatening harm, the people run to the watchtower, the fortified stronghold of safety. This is the instruction for us today – a full-speed sprint toward God when everything else feels scary or shaky. And the tower he describes here is the name of God, which in Scripture is never just a label; it’s shorthand for who God actually is. Remember David’s challenge to Goliath in I Sam. 17:45? He says “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord…” God’s name is His faithfulness, His power, His goodness, His protection for the righteous. When the verse says His name is a strong tower, it’s saying that God’s own character is the safest place a person can stand.

Think about some of the most incredible names of our God we find in the scriptures – names that give us hope and promise (not a comprehensive list of the names of God, just some of my favorites):

Yhwh (Yahweh) – the self-existent one
El Shaddai – Lord God Almighty all-sufficient one
El Olam – the everlasting God
Jehovah Jireh – the Lord will provide
Jehovah Rapha – the Lord who heals
Jehovah Nissi – the Lord is my banner
Jehovah Shalom – the Lord is peace
Jehovah Shammah – the Lord is there
Jehovah-Raah – the Lord my shepherd
Jehovah Sabaoth – the Lord of hosts

Notice, too, what Proverbs 18:10 doesn’t promise. It doesn’t say the righteous who run to God avoid trouble. It says they’re safe, a very different thing. Towers exist because danger is real, and life in this world is hard, disappointing, and painful. There is no promise that life stops being hard when we trust God. In fact, it says the opposite – James 1:2 says to count it all joy when you meet trials, and Jesus says directly in John 16:33 that we will have tribulation. BUT if we run to that strong tower of God’s name, WHO HE IS, we’re not facing those trials and tribulations alone, and we’re not facing them unprotected.

One additional thought – running is an action. When we are threatened, our fight or flight instinct kicks in and we don’t have to think about what to do next, we just run. The invitation here is to make running to God as natural as running from a threat — a reflex, not a last resort we reach for only after every other option runs out. All humans want security and to feel safe – it is an instinct from the day we are born, according to many scientific studies, and is reflexive. Our reflex as Christians should be to run to safety in the very name of our almighty, all-powerful sovereign God.

Something to Consider

Are you currently walking toward your own strength instead of running toward His? It might be a worry you’re managing alone, a decision you’re white-knuckling through, or a fear you haven’t said out loud to anyone — including God. Proverbs 18:10 isn’t a suggestion to eventually get around to trusting Him. It’s an invitation to run there to the safety of God first. He is lovingly waiting…

Prayer

Lord, You are my strong tower — not because I’ve earned safety, but because Your name and Your character never change. Forgive me for the times I’ve tried to build my own shelter out of control, worry, or self-reliance instead of running to You. Teach me to make You my first instinct, not my last resort. Thank You that I don’t have to face what’s ahead alone. Amen.