We need sanctuary

And me? I’m singing your prowess, shouting at dawn your largesse, for you’ve been a safe place for me, a good place to hide. Strong God, I’m watching you do it, I can always count on you— God, my dependable love. (Psalm 59:16)

A safe place - do you have one? I have a safe place where I can be me, unwind in the way I enjoy, and just get downright comfy in my space. It is called home. I also have a safe place spiritually where I can be myself, unwind in the way I enjoy, while being quite comfortable in that 'space' - it is called God's presence. I am privileged to have two 'sanctuaries' of sorts - one quite physical, the other spiritual. Both bring evenness or balance to my emotions, rest to my body, and peace to my mind. Although both can give me a certain sense of 'sanctuary', the only place of true sanctuary is in Christ Jesus - in the presence of God. While some view a place of sanctuary as a place of communion with God, others see it as a place of 'protection', 'shelter', or 'refuge'. They may not have that 'safe place' in the physical sense where they are able to escape to when they need to, but they will always have this 'safe place' of sanctuary in God's presence no matter what their outward circumstances may be in the physical realm. 

Do you know where your greatest sanctuary really is? It is your heart. Did you ever wonder why God focuses on the heart so much in scripture? He knows it is where we commune with him and where it is we 'understand' or 'interpret' life. The heart is made up of mind, will, and emotions. When the 'sanctuary' of our mind is whole, undivided, and without chaos, we see things clearly. As the mind is uncluttered, the will knows what to do and how to respond. The emotions are settled, focused by the mind, and balance is maintained. When the heart is under  attack from things that seek to bring disturbance or chaos, the balance is upset. We commune with God in the heart - bringing mind, will, and emotions into perfect rest and order. No wonder Satan does so much to disturb our thoughts, influence our emotions, and sway our will! He knows the power of us understanding and living within the sanctuary of God's presence and peace.

We looked at being life-long learners yesterday - disciples of Christ. Consider this - a disciple is only possible when there is a teacher. We have lots of 'teaching choices' in life, don't we? We can embrace all manner of 'culturally relevant thought processes' or we can remain true to the ones proclaimed over and over throughout scripture. How do we sort out what really matters most in all these invading thoughts? It is in the sanctuary of our hearts. If God reigns in that sanctuary, the ones that should be embraced, believed, and lived will become clear, while those that will lead us astray will begin to be called out so they can be discarded. We need 'sanctuary' in God's presence - it is not optional. We find and enter into 'order' there. Just sayin!