Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. – Psalm 31:3

Today's Scripture Reading (August 16, 2025): Psalm 31

For almost the past three decades, I have made my home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I moved here to take a position in a local congregation. It was not an easy move. In my youth, I would have never guessed that my path would one day bring me here. For the first portion of my life, I existed with a healthy desire for competition against the city. Edmontonians often say they believe in the ABCs of sports; Anybody but Calgary, a city that lies just to the south of the Alberta Capital. There is a good-natured competition between the two cities. One rumor behind the competition is that at the moment of the province's birth, one city was supposed to become the Provincial Capital, while the other would become the home of the province's University. However, for some unknown reason, Edmonton became the home of both the Capital and the University. And a fierce competition between the two population centers began. Whether that story is true, I have no idea.

If Edmontonians believe in the ABCs of sport, then I was a believer in the ABEs of sport; Anybody but Edmonton. And then I became a citizen of this Northern city. Ever since the 1980s, Edmonton has been known by the nickname "The City of Champions." The name arose at a time when the Edmonton Oilers were ruling the National Hockey League and the Edmonton Eskimos, now the Edmonton Elks, were the perennial contenders for the crown in the Canadian Football League. But more than that, Edmonton was the home of many Olympic and World competition winners and medalists in many different sports, all of which made the city's citizens proud to be part of the city. The nickname "The City of Champions" has been questioned in recent years as the big Championships have become rare.

Jerusalem has long been known by the nickname "The City of David." However, David understands that it is not Jerusalem that is his champion. He is proud of the city that he has called his own, but that is not the power behind the throne. The power behind David lies only in his God. Jerusalem was a strongly walled city; it was the center of political life in Israel, and soon, David planned to make it the center of religious life as well. David hopes that Jerusalem will become a world-class city, a city of which the King can be justifiably proud.  

However, regardless of how great Jerusalem might become, it is God who is its rock and fortress. It is a language that might be applied to Jerusalem, but David reserves it for his God. It is not, and will never be, the walls of Jerusalem that will keep the King safe. It is God. And it is not the name of the local sports team that David wears on his shirt, it is God's name that is forever on his lips, because that is all that matters. David believes that God will act to defend his name, and in the process, defend David, Jerusalem, and Israel against the arrows their enemies might fire in their direction. 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Psalm 32