Where Do You Find Your Security?(Proverbs 18:10-11)
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Proverbs 18:10-11
‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. 11 A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.’
These verses show us that every person is as their trust.
And they show us this by offering us a vivid contrast—between a real refuge and an imaginary one.
Let’s start with the real refuge.
Verse 10:
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
This is the only time in all of Proverbs where the phrase “the name of the Lord” is mentioned. And I love what it’s connected to: protection and security. Just think about this—the very mention of God’s name is described as a “strong tower.” His name alone is enough to provide unmatched protection! Genuinely I can’t even fully wrap my head around that. That to me is incredible. Just the mention of our Lord’s name has the power to still the sea and be a rock of refuge to us in our time of need. I mean that’s unbelievable. And that’s why (second half of verse 10):
“The righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
Notice two things here:
The righteous run. Picture a child running into their father’s arms when they’re scared, hurt, defeated, you name it. There’s no hesitation, no second-guessing—just full dependency and trust. That’s the kind of immediacy we see and are encouraged to replicate here.
The safety is real. This isn’t hypothetical. This strong tower shields us from the temptations of the flesh, the pressures of the world, and the schemes of the enemy.
But this I think begs the question: How? How do we “run” into this refuge?
We call on His name. We pray. When we call on God’s name, when we pray, we step into the safety of His presence. That’s the how. Those who pray regularly are the ones who know this safety deeply. They’ve learned not to trust in themselves but in the One whose name is strong, much stronger than their own.
But unfortunately not everyone chooses to run to the Lord as their refuge. Some look for security elsewhere, building their own strongholds. Verse 11 shows us what happens when we rely on something other than God:
‘A rich man's wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.’
The rich man’s trust is completely different. His wealth is his “strong city”. He trusts in himself, in his own works, his own doings. Sounds great and all especially if you are incredibly wealthy and have many reasons to attribute strength to yourself, but here’s the catch—this security is described as “like a high wall in his imagination.” It’s an illusion.
It’s like trusting a sandcastle to stand in the middle of a rising tide—it might look strong for a moment, but it’s gonna crumble. That’s the reality of trusting in worldly wealth or self-reliance. It seems sturdy, but it cannot endure.
Why? Because while wealth and material blessing may provide temporary security in a worldly sense, it’s ultimately fleeting. Scripture makes this clear in 1 John 2:
“..the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
The rich man’s trust is “passing away.” His wealth, his achievements, his self-reliance—they can’t stand on the day of judgment. They might seem like a strong sandcastle now, but they will crumble under the waves of eternity.
But where this trust falters, the name of the Lord stands firm. Unlike the fleeting security of wealth or success, God’s name endures through every storm and every season. The name of the Lord is Lord over all things. His name endures. His name provides a refuge that cannot be shaken. For now and all eternity.
With that, let me ask you today:
What’s your ‘strong city’ right now? Is it the name of the Lord, or is it something else—your own success, relationships, comfort, or wealth?
What would it look like for you to run to God as your refuge more often? How might prayer and calling on His name shape your heart to trust Him more deeply?
And finally, who do you know that hasn’t made the name of the Lord their strong tower? Someone who doesn’t know Him as their refuge, their Savior?
Let’s take a moment to pray these things:
For ourselves, to trust God as our only refuge.
For the people in our lives who don’t yet know Him.
And for the strength to run to Him daily, no matter what we face.
