3. Be thou my strong habitation. Permit
me to enter into thee, and remain in thee as my settled abode. I need your dwelling
to be as a fortress to me. Here we see a weak man, but he is in a strong
habitation; his security rests upon the tower in which he hides, and is not
placed in jeopardy through his personal feebleness. Whereunto I may continually resort. Fast shut is this castle against all adversaries; the
drawbridge is up, the portcullis is down; but there is a secret door by which
friends of the great Lord can enter at all hours of the day or night, as often
as ever they please. There is never an hour when it is unlawful to pray.
Mercy’s gates stand wide open. Thou hast given commandment to save me.
Nature is charged to be tender with God’s servants; Providence is ordered to
work their good, and the forces of the invisible world are ordained as their
guardians. God’s commandment compels obedience, and secures its end.
Destruction cannot destroy us, famine cannot starve us; but we laugh at both,
while God’s mandate shields us. For thou art my rock and my fortress.
God is the complete preserver of his people. Immutability may be set forth by
the rock, and omnipotence by the fortress. Happy is the person
who can use the pronoun my. All mine will be his, all his will be mine.
This was the reason why the psalmist was persuaded that God had commanded his
salvation, namely, because he had enabled him to exercise a calm and
appropriating faith.
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