I had to think of Proverbs 18:10, a verse that often comes to my mind because I live in a town that has Torre in its name. It says, the name of the Lord is a strong tower (or some translations say a strong fortress.) The righteous run into it and they are safe. Choosing to trust in God's character can be just as challenging as climbing to the tower of a Spanish fortress: it involves a choice of our will to believe that God is who He says He is, and not to doubt Him and complain when our life circumstances get difficult or challenging at times. Some people, even if they've been Christians for ages, never get really close to God, because they're simply not willing to put in the effort to run to Him and depend on Him in every situation.
My second frontier town last Wednesday was Jimena de la Frontera - just another fifteen miles inland from Castellar. The streets of the town were steep, but fortunately my tiny little car was narrow enough to drive fairly high up before having to ascend on foot the rest of the way to the old fortress on top of the hill. But wow! What a view once I got there: not only of the town down below, but also of the stunning rock formations in the mountains and valleys round about.
And I had to think that it's just the same when we choose to trust in God. Getting there might not be easy, it might involve steps of faith, but once we're close to Him, we have a completely different view of things; we begin to see our life and our situations from God's perspective and not just from our own.
The name Jimena, similarly to Simon or Simone, comes from the Hebrew or Arabic words meaning to listen intently. What a fitting reminder that we need to draw close to God and listen to Him if we want to be safe and secure, and to have a right view ("righteous" in Proverbs 18:10) of people and situations.
