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!

So, time for retreat?

God is solid backing to a well-lived life, but he calls into question a shabby performance. (Proverbs 10:29)

Just met with the financial advisor and one of the questions I keep asking is how 'solid' the backing of every investment is right now. As I near retirement, I want to be sure my investments will be solidly backed. Backing sometimes comes in the form of a 'thing', but it can also be a 'place' and a 'person', right? Be in the right place and have the right person 'backing' you there and you are likely going to do okay in the end. A sanctuary is kind of like having that 'well-backed' place and it is usually a place provided by some pretty 'phenomenal', as well. There is something special about having a place of sanctuary, isn't there? When we have a place of retreat, we somehow feel a little better knowing we can go there to recover from the things of our day that beat us down and made us more than a little weary. Another word for sanctuary is refuge or bastion - a place of 'backing'. The purpose is for our protection - God provides a fortress for our defense and so that we can develop a good offense.

Scriptura tells us our Lord is a stronghold (sanctuary, bastion) to those with integrity. Yet, this same stronghold brings judgment to the wicked - those with 'shabby performance'! What is a place of refuge for one is the very thing which will destroy the other! We see this as true throughout scripture, don't we? Look at Israel and the surrounding nations - Israel enjoyed God's presence as their stronghold (sanctuary, bastion) while the heathen nations found the presence of God as a threat and a thing of dread! God is a SOLID backing (bastion, stronghold) to a well-lived life - yet a life lived in the shabbiness of sinful self-indulgence is unable to enjoy the safety and protection of this same sanctuary. Not only is God our stronghold, but walking in the way he outlines for our lives is a place of "sanctuary" for us. Sometimes I think we imagine a stronghold or sanctuary as being "some place" rather than being a journey of consistent progress in the right direction. As we are "on the way" we enjoy the sanctuary of the presence of God. We don't need to "retreat" to a physical place to enjoy his presence (sanctuary, bastion). We simply need to be walking in the way of the Lord.

Integrity is the "key" that unlocks the door of the sanctuary. The moral soundness of our walk is important! In order to understand this a little better, allow me to use a picture to illustrate. Think of getting dressed in the morning. If you are female, there may be a few different items you will don to keep things in place and modestly covered. If you are a guy, you probably might wear a few things us ladies would not, like a tie or a belt to hold all those things you like to attach to your waist. Now, if you were to dress today by leaving off some of these things you use to "hold things in place" or "attach important stuff to", how would you feel? You'd probably feel a little less than "perfectly" put together. Integrity is the condition of having things together in right order. When we try to make God our sanctuary, we are able to do so when things are in "right order" between us and God. God calls into question any "shabby performance" - simply because his presence is enjoyed best when we have things in order within our lives!

We all need "backing" in our lives. No one is able to live life completely without the help of another. Try as we might, we will never be able to accomplish quite the same degree of performance as we can when we are doing it with the help of another. There is no stronger assistance, no better "backer" of our lives than God himself. We may hunt high and low attempting to find other things and people to "back us up" in life - but nothing outshines God's backing! The 27th verse of the same proverb says, "The Fear-of-God expands your life; a wicked life is a puny life." Isn't a sanctuary a place where we can "spread out" in rest, repose, and refreshing? The idea of sanctuary leads us to believe we can "recover" and "retake" ground we may have lost during previous failures in the battle. God is more interested in our living well than he is in pointing out our failures, but it is good to know when we fail there is a place of refuge to turn for healing and restoration! We all need to consider our sanctuary. Maybe it has been a long time since we have "retreated" into the presence of God - allowing him to heal and restore. Today could be the one that helps us move from shabbiness into integrity. His presence is both a place of defense and offense! Sometimes we don't walk well - recognition is the first step toward sanctuary! Just sayin!

Sanctuary

Go through his open gates with great thanksgiving; enter his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation. (Psalm 100:4-5 TLB)

Those gates are open! Open gates differ from shut ones in that one beckons to enter in - the other tells us we'd be trespassing if we did! I live in a neighborhood with six foot block walls all around the yards and gates that are either locked shut, or whose hinges just don't swing open all that often. The image given is that each one who makes this neighborhood their home appreciates (and even demands) their privacy. "No man is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all men: neither is there any other thing which keepeth us back from entering in, save only our own unbelief." (John Calvin)

Entering in requires movement from where we are to within those gates. It means we leave behind something in order to move into something which is different, and maybe even a little "unknown". It could just be you have been considering moving beyond the gates Jesus has opened wide and entering into this newness of life he has provided for all who would enter. If so, then I'd have to ask what is keeping you out? You aren't going to experience what is beyond those gates until you take that first step within!

I recently had a yard sale and it was a big one because three families contributed to it. The sale required I open up some of my backyard for those who would browse the goodies we had on sale. That meant some who normally wouldn't get to view the inner sanctuary of my backyard got a firsthand view. I received many a comment about how pretty and peaceful it was. I have tried to create a nice place for mom to sit out and enjoy the warmth of the sun. I have invited the birds by planting the types of things that encourage them. I even keep grass green year round so as to make it even more inviting. In general, it is a form of a "sanctuary".

A sanctuary is a place of refuge. The inner portions of the churches came to be referred to as sanctuaries because they were to be places those who sought "relief" and "comfort" could enter into and find it. It was the place around the altar - the place of sacrifice that was referred to the most often as the "sanctuary". Isn't that kind of interesting that the place of sacrifice came to be known as the place of sanctuary? The cross is actually the "key" that opened the gate into this place of sanctuary - of refuge and of rest! 

While we may ponder entering - it is only when we actually find ourselves squarely inside that we begin to realize the tremendous blessing of "sanctuary". May you enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! May you know sanctuary! Just prayin!

Invitation into sanctuary

^3-5 You've always given me breathing room,
      a place to get away from it all,
   A lifetime pass to your safe-house,
      an open invitation as your guest.
   You've always taken me seriously, God,
      made me welcome among those who know and love you. 

(Psalm 61:3-5)

David had an intimate relationship with God - evident in how frankly he speaks with God and how "free" he is in the presence of God.  There is much to be said about having a deep, beyond the mundane, relationship with God.  Look at what David tells us here - God is the one who welcomes, we are the ones who come into that place invited.

David acknowledges that God gives him space - breathing room - a place of sanctuary.  Have you ever had a really good friend that you can just be yourself around?  You can kick off your shoes, let down your guard, and be your real self - no pretense, no masks, just you.  God desires that kind of relationship with us - extending to us the invitation to come into his presence and "chill" - find rest for our souls.

We are reminded that it is a lifetime pass - not a one-time experience, but a cultivated enjoyment of the presence of God.  We have an open invitation - come freely into his presence, drink deeply of his graces, and know that you are there as an invited member of his household.  

David's most consistent theme in his writings is that God knew him and he knew God.  He even acknowledges that he is aware of this because God "takes him seriously" - nothing he shares with God escapes God's attention or care.  Why?  Because he knew God in a personal way and he loved God with all his heart was capable of.  

Jesus came to this earth so many years ago, taking on the form of human nature, to connect with us.  He laid aside his divinity to take on human form - connecting with the struggles we encounter, understanding the limitations of our mortal bodies, and involving himself in the tasks of ordinary life.  That is why scripture reminds us that we have a Savior that is not unaware of our struggles, knows what temptations await us at every turn.  

This is the season we celebrate his birth.  A few weeks ago, our pastor brought forth the idea that sinners (like you and me) are the POINT of the birth of our Savior in human form.  They are not just PART of it, they are the POINT of it. God takes each of us quite seriously - we are the objects of his affection and the consistent POINT of his attention.  Isn't it time that we recognized the tug of Lord on the strings of our heart?  Isn't it time that we came into his presence, thoroughly enjoying the sanctuary of his graces?  

We are the POINT of this season - sinners in need of a Savior.  What will you do with your Savior this Christmas?