The Name of Jesus Gives Us an Elevated Position
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV)
When I was little my mom and dad would have my sisters, brothers, and I memorize bible verses. One of the verses that I still remember to this day is Proverbs 18:10. I think one of my favorite memories of this verse was when my twin brothers were very young when we memorized this particular verse, maybe 3 or 4 years old. At mealtimes when we prayed my brothers always wanted to say the prayer, and they would say this verse instead of actually praying for the food. It made us all laugh every time!
“Dear Jesus, The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous [then they would shout this next part at the top of their lungs] RUN INTO IT [and then back to a calm, normal voice] and are safe. Amen.”
As funny as that was, this verse always stuck with me. I knew that the name of God (or Jesus) brought safety. In moments of fear, I remembered this verse and knew I could call of the name of Jesus.
Calling on the name of Jesus as a child
I specifically remember one instance when this verse came to mind. I might have been in the 5th grade (or somewhere around that age). It was winter, and we had a snowstorm that year. We started a fire in our old woodstove fireplace, and after a while we started to hear what sounded like a low roaring thunder sound. My parents noticed the chimney (it was one of those old-time exposed chimneys) started to turn red, and my dad knew immediately that we had a fire in the chimney.
My dad shut the fireplace and called the fire department, and my mom quickly rushed the 5 of us kids outside. As we hurried outside, that verse came to mind. I thought, “Jesus’ name is safe. We need to run to Jesus’ name.” So then I started to say out loud, “We’re safe in Jesus’ name. We’re safe in Jesus’ name. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” I repeated this over and over.
Within minutes the fire department arrived at our house. Since the fire was still contained in the chimney, the firemen were able to get on top of the roof to put the fire out through the top of the chimney. The fireman tackled the fire from an elevated position (a theme you’ll see repeated as you keep reading). They didn’t even need to use their firehoses. They just shoveled some of the snow from the top of the roof to snuff it out, which was amazing because it eliminated any flooding or damage that a water hose could have potentially caused.
The name of Jesus is a place of safety
The name of Jesus was a place of safety that I ran to in that moment that alleviated my fears and, I believe, protected us from danger and destruction. There have been other situations where I’ve done something similar, calling on Jesus in times of trouble. Even to this day in moments of fear or need, I find myself whispering under my breath, “Jesus, help.” His name is a fortress that I can run to for help and protection.
