TOWER OF MERCY – WHY THIS NAME?
Our message and ministry are in our name. We believe that God is our Tower of Mercy, but we also realize that this means lots of different things to lots of different people because He meets us where we are. Here's the mystery behind the name.
First, we'll begin with Tower. Towers were constructed and used for many different purposes, but we see four that directly relate to our ministry and faith in God.
First, a Tower was a place for safety and refuge. David makes this clear in his song found in 2 Samuel 22. Proverbs 18:10 also says:
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe." – Prov. 18:10
God is our Tower because He is where we find safety and refuge from life's onslaughts. At the end of a hard day, in the midst of a crisis, during betrayals and let-downs, God is our safety and refuge.
Secondly, towers were a means of defense. From a tower, soldiers had a clear advantage over their enemy and would traditionally defend their cities from towers. In the same way, God is our defense against our enemies. Look at David's cry in this verse:
"But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; For You have been my defense And refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises; For God is my defense, My God of mercy."
Psalm 59:16-17
Now, defense is also used here in a legal sense, as in an advocate. When someone is in court he or she is represented by a defense lawyer or advocate. If we know Jesus and have a relationship with Him then Jesus becomes that for us. Remember the vision of Zechariah in chapter 3? He sees Joshua before the throne of God, filthy. Satan is beside him accusing him. Left to our own devices, without Christ, we would have to try and defend ourselves…not a good idea. However, as a child of God, when Satan begins pointing the finger of blame, Jesus steps in as our advocate and defends us. And He never loses!
Third, a tower was a place for prisoners to be kept. Now what does that have to do with our mission and ministry? I'm glad you asked. Seven times in scripture, Paul refers to himself as a prisoner of Christ. Likewise, we also should identify ourselves in this manner. What does being a prisoner of Christ mean? It means we have been arrested by His love for us, captured by His mercy for us, and in awe of His grace towards us. See, Jesus can't be our Savior without being our Lord. He must be both. If He is our Lord than not listening to His direction for our lives is not an option. When God speaks, we listen. When God instructs, we obey. That's what being a prisoner of Christ means.
Lastly, and maybe the coolest, is that a tower was used as a lookout. From this vantage point, one could see all around for miles and miles. We relate this lookout to an old history lesson from the Revolutionary War. The Old North Church in Boston became a beacon to all those in the city. Remember the famous saying, 'One if by land, two if by sea'. Paul Revere became a legend that night riding up and down the cobbles, crying out 'The Redcoats are coming, the Redcoats are coming!' Now, over 200 years later, we are replaying that fateful night. Our message, through our music, is clear. 'Jesus is coming, Jesus is coming'. We are humbled and blessed to be a lookout to all those willing to hear this message and follow in obedience.
So, four examples of how we believes a Tower represents both God and our mission. But what about mercy? What is mercy and why does God shed mercy on us? Here are our thoughts on how this relates to our ministry.
Let's begin by defining the difference between mercy and grace.
Mercy – Not getting what we deserve = avoiding Hell
Grace – Getting what we don't deserve = Heaven (Eph 2:8)
God did not have to send Jesus, but He did and now if we have a relationship with Him we can avoid Hell and separation from Him. That's mercy. Grace on the other hand is getting what we don't deserve, which would be, for those who trust Him, an eternity spent with Him in Heaven.
God does not show His mercy because we somehow deserve it. Far from it. We don't receive mercy because of who we are (He is no respecter of persons), because of what we've done (This would be salvation by works), or because He has to. There are two reasons why His mercy falls on us and we are trying to share this through our music.
Both reasons come from Paul.
"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life."
1 Timothy 1:15-16
The first reason God sheds His mercy is clear…that God might be glorified. That others may look at our life and say, 'Wow'. Look what God did in so and so's life. He must be a great God! God loves you very much but don't think that His mercy is poured out on you for just your sake. God wants that mercy, and the results, to point others to Him. When was the last time that someone looked at your life and immediately thought of God? We hope that's what our music and ministry does.
The second reason is just as exciting…
"But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Titus 3:4-7
Paul also says that God shows His mercy to us so that, as a result of accepting this gift, we may share not just in the benefits of His mercy now, but as heirs in eternal life. You see, God desires to spend eternity with you and us and just have a huge party for eternity. Don't miss out on this!
Let's get one thing straight however…God does not need you. He doesn't need Tower of Mercy to play songs or perform, He doesn't need us in our jobs or to do anything else for him. Again, Paul talks about this:
"Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things."
Acts 17:25
Frankly, we would hate to trust and follow a God who needed us. What kind of God can create the universe and all that is in it, but needs to rely on us or you to get something done? God is God and does not need anything or anyone. That might come as a shock or bad news to you. But there is good news.
God wants you. He wants us. Though He does not need us, He desires to have fellowship and communion with us. That's the kind of God we serve and love. A God who has a soft spot for His creation and is overflowing with love and kindness and mercy.
So, there you have it. Tower of Mercy and the reason for our name, our ministry, and our very existence on this earth. We hope you see this message woven into our songs and as you see our lives.
*Special Thanks to Charles for this enlightning view of "Tower of Mercy"