Behind Castle Walls

Bible Reading: Psalm 31:1-5

“Hurry! Pull up the drawbridge, Seth!” Mitchell hurried into the cardboard castle in their basement. “The enemy is coming!”

Seth pulled up the bridge, and both boys peered through narrow slits in the walls. “Now they won’t be able to cross the moat,” said Seth. “And even if they do, our strong walls will keep us safe.”

Just then Dad came down the stairs, followed by the boys’ sister, Charis. “I think it’s time for a break,” he said, holding out a bowl of popcorn. They all sat in the courtyard of the castle, eating popcorn and admiring the corner towers made by big refrigerator boxes. The towers were connected by cardboard walls.

“This castle is a lot of fun, Dad,” said Mitchell. “Thanks for helping us build it.”

“This doesn’t seem much like a castle to me,” said Charis, “I thought castles were big, beautiful palaces with lots of fancy rooms.”

Dad smiled. “This castle is really a fortress, not a palace,” he said. “Fortresses were used years and years ago to protect people from their enemies.” He took a handful of popcorn from the bowl. “Did you know that God is described as a fortress?”

“He is?” asked Seth. “How can He be a fortress?”

“Well,” said Dad, “remember how the news announcer talked about a school shooting on the radio this morning?”

Charis nodded. “It scared me.”

“Me too,” said Seth. “What if that happened at our school?”

“We live in a sinful world, and bad things happen all around us,” said Dad. “But we can find peace by running to our fortress—by drawing close to the Lord and trusting Him to take care of us.”

“But we could still get hit by an enemy arrow, even inside our castle,” said Mitchell. He looked at the imaginary enemy outside their walls. “But it’s a lot safer in here than out in the open.”

“That’s right,” said Dad. “And sometimes even Christians get hurt. But when we take refuge in the Lord, we can have peace knowing He’s defending us. We can be sure that even if an arrow—some bad thing—strikes us, God will somehow use it for good. We need to trust Him to do that.” – Jody Hedlund

How About You?

Have you ever been scared by something you heard in the news? We live in a sinful world where lots of bad things happen, but if you’re a Christian, you have a strong fortress where you can run for protection—God! He promises to be with you and use everything in your life for good—even if bad things do happen. Tell Him your worries and fears and trust Him to be with you.

Today’s Key Verse: Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.

Today’s Key Thought:

God gives peace