“And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you.”” (Jeremiah 1:18–19, ESV)
While serving in the United States Army, I was stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany in the early to mid-70s. One of the things that we would do when we had time off was to tour the ancient castles, ruins, and fortresses. Many of the cities, the one in which we lived, still had remains of a wall that originally surrounded the city. It was the protection for the city in ancient days. The idea of building walled fortresses continued for centuries.
Here, the Lord spoke to Jeremiah to give him courage in the light of the mission that he would undertake. Jeremiah was to declare the message of the Lord to Judah. It would be a hard message. Yet the huge problem was that the nation would not listen and even, because of the hardness of their hearts, oppose the prophet and the message he would bring.
So, the Lord promised Jeremiah divine protection. He would make Jeremiah “a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls.” It would protect him “against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.”
For us as believers, we have the same promise of protection. When the Lord gives us a mission, he not only equips and is present with us in the mission, He also has His hand of protection upon us. That hand of protection is upon us throughout our portion of the great mission so that it will be accomplished for his glory. Thus, we must go out on His mission with confidence. Often fear may overtake us. It will only win when we walk by sight and not by faith. So, trust the Lord and go with courage to do what He has called you to do.
Renewing the Heart 