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In a storm where is your safe place? During certain seasons we have a lot of tornado warnings in the south. When the warning sirens go off, it’s best to be in the safest place in your home or office.  All my grandchildren know which space in their homes is safest to wait out a storm.

But not all storms are weather related. We sometimes have storms that threaten our health, our families, and our finances. Nearly every day we read of growing global tensions in the east, the Middle East, and in various places around the world. Where do we go for safety when an enemy or the enemy of God stirs up opposition and creates storms in our lives?

Both David and Solomon have clear and direct instructions that will help us weather the storms that come our way. First, trust in the name of the Lord as your strong tower:

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.”

And do it now with urgency. Solomon said that the righteous man runs to the name of the Lord and is safe. You can check on all your other options and try to make the name of the Lord plan B, but if you are serious about strength, reliability, and safety, there is only one name that you can trust.

There is a tendency to think that someone accumulating wealth will be insulated from danger, but the very next verse in Proverbs 18 reminds us that while you might think that wealth is your strong city or tower it is simply a high wall in your imagination. Day after day we hear of businesses and individuals who once had strong balance sheets that are now bankrupt. Times change, industries shift, unexpected head winds blow and no matter what you think you have as security can become just a vapor.

If you want evidence of what it looks like to place your trust in your wealth, just read Mark 10:17-31. It is the familiar story of the wealthy man who came to Jesus and asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. We learn in this story that this young man had significant wealth. We don’t know how he got his money. He may have inherited it. He might have built a successful business. Maybe he was a serial entrepreneur. Maybe all of the above. We also learn that he was aware of Jesus and his teachings. He may have heard him in person before, or he might have heard others talking about Jesus, but something about Jesus and his teachings made the man want to know more.

This man’s question had to do with inheriting eternal life. He had plenty of wealth in the here and now, but he was focused on what would happen in the future when he died. Sooner or later we all must wrestle with that question. To avoid the question is eternally dangerous.

It appears that this man was a stand-up guy. He didn’t cheat on his wife. He hadn’t killed anyone. He wasn’t a thief. He didn’t make things up about his friends or neighbors. He was doing pretty good with the Ten Commandments. Jesus seemed to agree with this man’s self-assessment but told him he had just one thing he needed to do; sell his stuff and give it to the poor. According to Jesus, this guaranteed the man treasures in heaven. His eternal inheritance would be secured.

The man couldn’t do it. He walked away sadly. This story makes me turn back to the passage in Proverbs where I began today. It seems that maybe the rich man in Mark fit what Solomon said, “a rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.” Having a big 401k, investment portfolio, land holdings, or safe full of gold may cause one to think they have a strong tower in times of trouble, but according to Proverbs and Jesus, all the wealth in the world does not and will not take care of you in the end. Only Jesus is our strong tower. Only Jesus.

Father, we confess that we seek security in many places and in many ways. And time and time again we deceive ourselves in thinking our stuff, our work, or even our family and friends can be our tower of strength in times of trouble. Thank you for the people you have placed in our lives to encourage us. Thank you for the resources you have given us to live today. But forgive us for thinking that these gifts can be our tower of strength in times of trouble. Father, today we choose you and only you as the one who saves us and sustains us both now and forever.  In Jesus name, amen.