Run Into It

When I was little, we used to sing this song at church.  It comes from Proverbs 18:10:

"The name of the Lord is...
  a strong tower...
  the righteous run into it...
  and they are saved"

When I sing a song, I tend to create mental images of the words I'm singing to help me process through the meaning.  Well, when I sang this song, I didn't picture a righteous person running through a gate and into the safety of a strong tower.  No.  I couldn't be that profound.  When I sang this song, I always pictured a righteous person running into a tower.  Not running INto it.  Running INTO it.  Picture a stick figure running...running...running...aaaaannnddd....SMACK!!  The righteous stick figure runs into the wall of the strong tower and falls flat on his back.  That is the image of this song in my mind.

As I got older, I decided I should probably adjust that mental projection so I didn't have to repress laughter every time I sang it.  After all, God couldn't possibly have meant that the righteous literally run into the strong tower of His name, could He?

...or could He?

Psalm 1:6 says, "The Lord watches over the way of the righteous."

The Hebrew word for "way" in that verse can also be translated to mean "direction".  So the Lord knows the direction of the righteous.  He knows which way they're headed.  They're headed His way.  (Hosea 14:9, "The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them.")

Now, if you're running, it's probably for one of three reasons:

1. You're running to something.
2. You're running from something.
3. You're one of those crazy, disciplined people who runs just for the sake of running.

Take that in the context of Proverbs 18:10.  Why are the righteous in this verse running?  Obviously, not #3.  At first glance, it seems like #1.  The righteous are running to the strong tower, right?  Maybe.  But why would you need a strong tower to keep you safe?  Because something is attacking you.  You're being pursued.  I think in Proverbs 18:10, the righteous are running from something.

I don't know if you've ever literally run for your life.  Like, something is pursuing you with intent to kill and you're fleeing.  I haven't.  But I imagine if I was in that situation, my brain would be so consumed with my flight that I wouldn't be thinking about where I was running.  My only thought would be to run away as hard and fast as I could.

What if the righteous are under attack in spirit?  What if we (those who have been made righteous through faith in Christ, Romans 3:22) are being relentlessly pursued and are fleeing for our lives?  What if we're so disoriented by pain or disaster or torment that we can't even think about what we're running to, because all we can think about is what we're trying to get away from?

We're back to Psalm 1:6.  "The Lord watches over the way of the righteous."  When we're running in blind terror, He's watching over us.  He knows which direction we're going.

And I think He drops the strong tower right in the middle of our path.

See, in Proverbs 18:10 when it says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower," the translation of "Lord" is "Jehovah", which means "the existing One".  I think the Lord looks down, sees His righteous ones pursued, knows the direction they're running, and chooses to exist right in front of them.  So unexpected is His sudden appearance in the midst of their panic-stricken flight that they literally run into Him.  And when they do, they're safe.

So my friend, if you're running blindly, pursued by a pain or a fear or a struggle that is bigger and stronger and faster than you are...heads up.  You're about to run into Something.