Our Best Defense

"Be my rock of refuge, a fortress of defense to save me." Psalm 31:2

In late January 1956, during the tense days of the Montgomery Boycott, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. could not sleep. A threatening phone call had terrified him. So he prayed, “I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But Lord, I must confess that I’m weak now, I’m faltering. I’m losing my courage. Now, I am afraid. . . . The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. . . . I can’t face it alone.”

Dr. King later wrote, “At that moment I experienced the presence of the Divine as I never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying, ‘Stand up for righteousness, stand up for truth; and God will be at your side forever.’ Almost at once my fears began to go. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything.”

The rest is history. Dr. King wanted to see people of all colors free of the damage done by racism and prejudice.

If we face opposition when we’re trying to do what’s right, we too must cry out to the Lord. He alone is our “rock of refuge, a fortress of defense” (Ps. 31:2). He is our reliable source of strength and protection. —David C. Egner

Lord, help me stand upon Your rock of Truth
And never trust myself to sinking sand;
Whenever I am faced with evil powers,
I’ll call upon Your strong and mighty hand. —Hess

When we trust the power of God, we experience peace, not panic.