Psalm 71:3,5 Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.
The Psalmist declares that The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my hope and my trust. He had called upon The Lord to be his strong habitation or place of refuge. Since the fall of man, man is incapable of dealing with the pressures and challenges in life alone. Some individuals appear to be able to deal with disaster and grief on their own. But apart from faith in Jesus Christ, they have no hope. Truth be told, every human being has what the world calls a “crutch” that they rely on during difficult times. It has been said that adversity reveals a person’s “God.”
When adversity hits, people will do something to get their mind off of the problem, or deaden the pain. When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, mankind exchanged its trust in The Lord with the lies of the serpent, questioning the goodness of God. Since that fall, man has created substitute “gods” to lean on during difficult times. Some people escape into movies or music to get their mind off of the sorrow or loss. Some people escape into a world of drugs or binge drinking. Some become recluse and avoid seeing anybody. There is no God but Jehovah. Besides Him, there is no other. The one solid hope of fallen man is Jesus Christ and His gospel.
