Strongholds: Friend or Foe?
Strongholds, do you have any? That one (or many) thing that God has been calling you away from, but you have been having a hard time letting go. For months or maybe years, we have heard His voice whisper, “Let Me have it,” inviting us to release our fingers one by one until our hand is opened and we surrender it to Him. We have attempted this process many times, and sometimes we think we have succeeded but then somehow, we find ourselves back in the same spot, hands closed, and clinched tightly, reluctant to trust Him, fueled by the fear of its fate and impact on us. But like a wise woman once told me, “You can’t quit more than once, this meant you never really quit.” I know I have my history of stronghold emotional rollercoasters, but wait, doesn’t David refer to God as his stronghold?
As I read 2 Samuel, I noticed more than once that David went multiple times into a “stronghold” but instead of being used to describe a bad habit or toxic relationship, it was used in the context of a place (1 Samuel 22:4-5; 1 Samuel 23:14; 1 Samuel 5:17; 2 Samuel 23:14). These verses recall David’s attempts at fleeing for protection from those after him like Saul, the Philistines during time of war and Absalom, and they state that he would live in his stronghold. These strongholds were referencing places he hid like fortresses, the wilderness and caves to feel safe and secure from his enemies but at one point, he was told by the prophet Gad to “leave the stronghold…” (1 Samuel 22:5).
In the Psalms, David refers to God as his stronghold (Psalm 18:2/2 Samuel 22:3, Psalm 94:22, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 144:2-all ESV translation). These verses also list God as his “rock” and “refuge”, his secret place of safety. Biblically, strongholds are not these destructive behaviors, unhealthy mindsets and terrible relationships we have stumbled into but rather the things we consciously run towards to seek comfort and refuge. David first sought refuge in the strongholds during his flight from Saul, a secret place he intentionally sought out for solace. Therefore naturally, when he found himself in a similar situation later in his life (fleeing from his son, Absalom), his instinct was to go somewhere familiar, somewhere he had known from his past experiences, where he was able to establish some temporary reprieve from the danger after him, the strongholds. What I imagine is during his time in these caves and places he thought would keep him safe, he was still experiencing feelings of anxiousness and fear, which then prompted his songs of praise and remembrance of the true stronghold. God, the only one who has the power to not only protect him but also provide him peace that the shadowy trees of the wilderness and the darkness of the caves could not offer him.
God is our stronghold.
David was told to leave the stronghold because he had run long enough towards the wrong stronghold and was growing stagnant, no longer reflecting that mighty warrior who slayed Goliath in his youth.
He chose that stronghold from a place of fear, not from a place of faith.
Who or what do you run to when you are trying to feel safe? Is it a person? A show? A habit? A memory/fantasy? A distraction? Is it yourself? Friend, these strongholds are tainted and will always be insufficient. They will always prove themselves to be inadequate to provide you with the full coverage and protection that you truly seek. Instead of praying that God remove our strongholds, we should shift our prayers to praise that He desires to be our true stronghold, the one we hold onto so strongly when our minds and bodies are weak with fear, distress and anxiousness. Why settle for the exposure of the caves and lack of shelter of the wilderness when you can experience the complete refuge of the Savior.
