God Almighty is a Mighty Fortress

A beautiful Castle that shines brighter than the sun!

His battlements are impenetrable!

His walls reach into the heavens!

There is safety in His courtyard!

There is peace in His cathedra!

But alas I cannot breech His mighty fortress,

I cannot scale His towering walls.

Who am I but sinful dust?

Who am I that He, the Mighty Warrior would allow me shelter?

God Almighty shouts from His tall tower,

Enter in all who pay the price!

No sin may enter here, but he who is without sin may come,

He who has kept my laws may freely enter!

I am undone, I am like a worm upon the hot sand,

My flesh melts under the heat of His gaze, like wax from a candle,

I cannot stand before His might,

His sword cuts my flesh,

my sins flash before me,

no hope for me,

I shall die and return to dust,

forever outside His holy walls.

Who will deliver me?

Who will transport me to His cathedral?

Behold the Son!

He lowers Himself from the splendor of the castle,

to touch the dirty earth that binds me to it,

that holds me to the dust from which I was made,

He shouts out to the masses

Only death can pay for sin, only blood shed can pay your price!

The Son dies,

My sin the nails that bind Him to the tree,

My hand holds the hammer,

My heart is torn within me, like a cloth caught between the teeth of dogs,

The sky is darkened,

day becomes night,

The earth shakes like a mighty behemoth

A wall cracks open,

An open door appears before me,

But I cannot cross the chasm between me and the castle that is Almighty God,

The Son rises, clothed in splendor,

Nail scarred hands outstretch,

He lays down, stretched out before me,

A Mighty Drawbridge,

The light of the Castle that is my God shines forth from the open door,

I walk across, upon the sacrifice of the Son,

The Drawbridge that leads me home.

My debt is paid,

My sins are covered,

I reside in the Castle that is my God,

I dwell behind the shelter of His towering walls,

I have peace within His cathedral.

My God is a strong Tower, a mighty Fortress, a beautiful Castle!

    This Psalm was written as a writing exercise, my task was to compose a Psalm using metaphors to describe God.

For several days now I have been working my way through praying the Psalm's in my devotional time. Today I read Psalm 7, a very strong emotional Psalm, written by David during a dark night of the soul. While meditating upon this Psalm and upon circumstances in my life, I felt led to pen my own Psalm. My family has been through a long dark night of the soul, and are still walking through the valley of it. We have endured combat deployments, wounded family members, suicide of loved ones, deep dark grief, PTSD, depression, anxiety and the hopeless feeling that often comes with such things. David pulled no punches in his writing, his emotions scream out from the Psalms. David is real with God, he does not decieve himself, but pours out his true heart. Meditating upon these things, I attempt also to pull no punches, to put down on paper the raw emotion that is so often felt and experienced in our journey.......my journey.

 I come to You for protection O Lord my God!

My soul is torn by my enemies, my loved ones wounded, some near death!

This grief, this PTSD, this depression and anxiety threaten to consume us!

Lord, I stand, I fight, I seek You in prayer and in Your word, yet alone I fight!

Lord like your servant Moses, my hands grow weak, I can barely lift my sword!

I lay here,upon the ground, in the mud and mire of despair, my wounds bleeding sorrow

and my enemies taunt me. Saying "Where is your God?", "We rend the souls of those

you love while Your God is sleeping!"

O Lord, rise up! Stomp them into the ground! Crush the heads of these dark

serpents that feast upon our souls!

And yet, with broken voice I shout out, upon the ground, mud spattered despair

covers my armor. sorrow flows from my wounds, and yet I say to my enemies who

surround me..."I will yet see deliverance!", I will yet see you laying in the mire, helpless

and ashamed, my Lord's foot upon your head!".

Stand up O soul! Stand up! Hold up the sword of truth which your heart knows.

Let His righteousness wash the mire of despair from your armor.

Wounded you may feel, sorrow dripping to the ground..........but your enemy, the

enemies of your soul may only advance as far as your Lord allows!

He will not allow Your soul to perish, nor the souls of those you love!

Hold fast soul! Hold fast!

HE IS ENOUGH! HE IS ENOUGH!

Victory comes......hold fast.

IT IS WELL, WITH MY SOUL