The Privileged Life: Where Is Your “Castle”?

“I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’” Psalm 91:2

It’s the nouveau rage on video and in blogs—the renovation of French chateaux and other castles.

Programs like “The Chateau Diaries” and “Escape to the Chateau” give viewers a peek into the lives of everyday folks trying to restore vintage mansions that have fallen into disrepair. Every episode brings some new challenge or discovery for fascinated viewers. Are there hidden treasures? Can that floor be saved? What’s behind that wall? The stories capture our imagination because there’s so much history involved.

Do you live in a “castle”? Maybe you don’t think of your home as a mansion, but it’s a privilege to have a roof over your head. It holds your own history for the time you’ve spent there. Whether you live on a vast estate or in a micro-sized apartment, having a place to call “home” away from rain, wind, and freezing temperatures is a huge blessing.

(A tiny 16^th-century townhouse in Wales is reputed to be “the smallest house in Great Britain”—with only 60 square feet in its ground floor and ceilings lower than six feet three inches, it was finally declared uninhabitable around 1900 and is now a tourist attraction.*)

The ancients, like us, built their homes from stone, bricks, wood, woven cloth, metal, whatever they could find—anything to shelter them from the elements and their enemies. The castles that have lasted over the centuries, though, are fortresses made of rock.

Nothing, however, can completely protect us from the storms of life. Our real security is found only in Jesus Christ and His promises for us. The apostle Paul describes Jesus as our “spiritual Rock,” the same stronghold who protected Moses and the Israelites as they wandered through the desert (1 Corinthians 10:1-5). Jeremiah says the Lord is his “strength and fortress,” his refuge in the day of affliction (Jeremiah 16:19).

Can you say that? Are you trusting in a castle of wood, steel, or brick? Do you trust only in yourself, your finances, your job, your friends? Or can you close your eyes and picture yourself inside a princely castle, safely surrounded by sturdy rock walls…whose Maker is Jesus?

When you’re faced with blistering attacks, take refuge in Christ. He will cover You with His strength. He will shield you from the tempest brewing around you.

Ultimately, He is our truest and best “castle.” What a privilege to make our home with Him, now and in heaven to come.

Lord, You are our only hope, shelter, strength. You alone are our Guard and Refuge. Let us daily run to You as the One who covers us with Your wings…the Rock in whom we trust. May we lose sight of worldly treasures and seek those that are found in heaven with You. In Your great name, Amen.

Wardour Castle is a ruined 14th-century castle in the English county of Wiltshire…that’s my brother, Jim Canestrari, on the bench, admiring the view of a nearby lake.

One of the passageways inside Wardour Castle

A slightly creepy stone carving on one of the living room walls in Wardour Castle ruins

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* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smallest_House_in_Great_Britain