God our Sanctuary

¹³ The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy,
he is the one you are to fear,
he is the one you are to dread,

¹⁴ and he will be a sanctuary...

~Isaiah 8:13,14a

Last night, in our weekly prayer meeting at their home, my pastor-nephew Ken share about something that the Lord had been dealing with him for the last 5 years or so.

He spoke about how God had revealed to him about his [and our] tendency to retreat into a 'safe place' in his soul - a place where, when he's in it, he feels in control and, well, safe.

He said that this tendency to retreat into this 'safe place' takes many forms - addictions, bad habits, defense mechanisms to mask insecurities, etc. Whatever form it may take and however it may manifest, these 'safe places' are really nothing more than our weak attempts to maintain a semblance of order and a false sense of security about ourselves.

But when push comes to shove, these things will keep us safe just about as well as those fig leaves were able to hide Adam's and Eve's nakedness.

Bottom line, God will not allow us to have any safe have apart from Himself. He will 'not rest' until He has made it clear to us that it is to Him and Him alone that we need to run for cover, for safety, for security, for only He was, is, and ever shall be in total control of everything. All other appearances of "control" are but illusions.

Rather than fear men, we are to fear God. For when we do, we need not fear anything or anyone else.

Rather than turn to men for acknowledgment, appreciation, validation or approval let us fix our gaze upon Jesus, the true Author and Perfecter of our Faith. It is He Who has promised to finish the good work that He Himself began.

Rather than run to men for security, comfort, consolation or even vindication let us remember that it is our God alone Who can, and will, rescue, redeem and lift us up from our dire straits and in the eyes of men.

With God we have nothing to hide and nothing to prove. We, everyone of us, stand before him naked and defenseless. And yet, instead of judging or condemning us, He loves us. And heals us.

And keeps us safe.

Truly, God and God alone is our 'safe place'. He is the Fortress of our lives, the Shield of our Faith and the Sanctuary of our soul.