“Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.” Psalm 48:3
We are known by the aspects of our character that are evidenced in our behavior. Those around us see how we live our lives, how we react, how we choose to spend our resources and where we invest ourselves. When we make ourselves known in a certain way, it isn’t just by our stating that we exemplify a certain characteristic or trait. We make ourselves known by showing through our actions, speech, and decisions that this characteristic is part of what defines us.
Realizing this, I have come to love Scriptures that say God makes Himself known in a certain way. Like here. “Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.” The psalm is looking at the city of God. The city of God is where He has chosen to place His name, and it is where His people reside. When we are saved by the grace of God through our faith in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord declares that we are His people and we are called by His name. “I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:6-7).
However far off we have been, however dark or impossible our path may appear, God will make Himself known as a fortress. He will show Himself to be strong and faithful. He will prove to you that He is enough. Not merely with nice words, but with might and power and grace that are displayed as He acts for you. He will be your shield, strength, and the light in your darkness. And He will intentionally make Himself known as such. His promises are not empty. His arms are not weak. When He carries you, He will not let you fall. When He surrounds you as the mountains surround Jerusalem (Psalm 125:2), He will not fail. You will know His steadfast love, His faithfulness, and the peace that fills your soul to overflowing.
God will make Himself known as a fortress within the circumstances of your life. Because you are His. Chosen, redeemed, and called by His name. Adopted forever as a child of the Most High God, against whom nothing can stand.
In Pleasant Places 