OUR SANCTUARY

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’”

Ezekiel 11:16

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever been at a place in life where you needed a safe place to go where you could feel protected and comforted against the things of life?

I think we all have been there at some time or another and if you haven’t, live a little longer and I am sure you’ll find yourself there eventually.

So since we all will face the matter of needing sheltered from the circumstances of the world from time to time, wouldn’t it be great if we had someone we could always turn to in times of need, someone who was always with us and for us, someone who we could ever count on to be our sanctuary?

Well, there is good news for us all today because we have everything we would ever need and more in the Lord God Almighty, our ever present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and our shelter from the storms that life will bring our way.

As we turn back to the Old Testament Israelites of Ezekiel’s day, we see them going through a particularly harsh storm, one that was of their own doing. For we know that after they had fallen out of favor with God because of their sinfulness, they experienced His judgment which included seeing all they had destroyed by the Babylonians before they were taken away into a seventy-year captivity period, a period which encompassed an entire lifetime for some of God’s people. It is in this setting that we find our single verse from Ezekiel, Chapter 11, the highlight of today’s devotion:

 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.’”  Ezekiel 11:16

Note that although God had sent His people away into other nations to penalize them for their wickedness, He was still their sanctuary and to fully understand the context of what He was saying, we should look at the definition of the word “sanctuary”. Essentially, it is:

1. a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter.

2. the protection that is provided by a safe place.

3. a refuge, shelter, or safe haven.

In the midst of their oppressive captivity, the Israelites surely needed a place where they could feel protected and sheltered, a place where they could find refuge in a safe haven.

The Lord was all that and more for them. All they had to do is turn to Him, give Him their devotion, maintain faith that He was still their God even in the midst of punishment, and trust that He would help them through their challenges and problems. If the people of God would do that, then and only then would they be able to find relief from the strains and stresses of their circumstances through the comfort of knowing God was in control and looking out for their well being.

So how are we to handle life’s difficulties when they come calling?

It’s simple. We use the same blueprint that the Old Testament Israelites needed to use.

We see that God is all we could ever ask for and all we could ever need.

We turn to Him and give Him our devotion, maintain our faith that He is still our God even in the midst of trials, and trust that He will help us through our challenges and problems.

If we, the people of God, would do that, then we will be able to find relief from the strains and stresses of our circumstances through the comfort of knowing God is in control and looking out for our well being.

We will realize that He has been, is, and will always be our sanctuary.

Amen

In Christ,

Mark
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