Finding Sanctuary in a Storm-Tossed World

A pastor was guiding a visitor through his church’s new, state-of-the-art worship center. “Your church is beautiful!” the visitor exclaimed. Replied the pastor, “Sanctuary much!”

 

It’s an old joke, but the term “sanctuary” predates it by centuries. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sanctuary as “a place of refuge and protection,” while Dictionary.com describes it as “the most sacred place of worship; a building for religious worship.”

 

The church at the Italian
city of Assisi, home of
St. Francis of Assisi

For many of us, convening at the place we commonly refer to as “the church” indeed feels like entering a place of refuge and protection. Just as naturalists establish sanctuaries for various kinds of animals and birds, a sanctuary where spiritual services are conducted can often seem like the proverbial port in a storm.

Surrounded by men, women and children sharing a common faith in Jesus Christ, hearing worship songs that point to Him and His glory, and listening to messages anchored in the timeless, unchanging Word of God, we can enjoy a brief retreat from the continual bombardment of untruths espoused by many in a society that has determined it no longer needs the Lord. 

 

This is why Hebrews 10:23-25 urges, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

 

King David alluded to this when he wrote, “I have seen You in the sanctuary and beheld Your power and Your glory” (Psalm 63:2). Considering all the opposition David faced during his reign, it’s easy to understand the delight he experienced in places where he could worship the God of Israel. 

 

Alas – as Shakespeare and the poets of old used to phrase it – we can’t remain permanently in physical sanctuaries. We must return to a God-denying world and the sin-filled byways of everyday life. Even so, that’s not reason for despair.

 

Thanks to God’s Spirit, leaving a physical sanctuary doesn’t mean leaving His presence. We’re told in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” To make sure this important truth isn’t forgotten, it’s restated in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” 

 

Early in my spiritual life, when I would have been considered a “churchian” rather than a Christian, I somehow believed that when I departed the church building, I left God behind. I proceeded to live as if He didn’t exist until it was time to “visit” Him again the next Sunday. Only years later did I realize how deluded I had been.

 

David wrote about this in his collection of psalms: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there…if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).

 

Sanctuary can also be found whenever we spend time reading and studying the Scriptures. Unlike any other book, the books of the Bible are like God’s love letters to His children, tangible evidence of His presence even when circumstances in the world seem swirling out of control.

 

David wrote in Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” That verse serves as the basis of a wonderful song, “Hiding Place,” recorded by the Christian group Selah and others: 

“You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance. Whenever I am afraid I will trust in you…. Let the weak say ‘I am strong in the strength of the Lord.’”

Those times when we can break away from the outside world and convene in a physical sanctuary, standing and singing worshipful music with fellow believers are inspiring and necessary. But as the Bible assures us, no matter where we go we can find sanctuary in the Lord our God. He is our fortified tower, our refuge, our stronghold, our rock, our hiding place.