“I have been a sanctuary for them.”  

Ezekiel 11:16

I have always loved the word, “Sanctuary”. It takes me back to the church of my childhood where I sang about Jesus even before I knew Him as my Savior. The building that was the sanctuary was old with red carpet and pew cushions and arched windows with fake stained glass. The wood was honey-golden and the pulpit was smooth from use. I was baptized there above the choir loft, and I learned so much about God in my years there.

The sanctuary of my current church is officially named the Worship Center, and it holds memories dear as well. My children learned of Jesus and were baptized there. My daughter and I played together in the orchestra on that platform. God’s Word is preached with power and grace from the pulpit.

Both of these sanctuaries were and are true sanctuaries to me….holy places, consecrated, dedicated, hallowed. They are safe places for me to worship, to repent, to learn. In the modern world, we recognize sanctuary cities and wildlife sanctuaries...places of safety and refuge.

In the Bible, God said, “… have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). The wilderness tabernacle was this sanctuary…a place for the people to meet God. This tabernacle was later replaced with Solomon’s magnificent temple which was destroyed as the rebellious people went into Babylonian exile. It was there that God told them, “though I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet …I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone” (Ezekiel 11:16). Did you catch that?  God Himself was their sanctuary, their refuge, a safe place to rest and worship and reflect. Isn’t that beautiful?

I often feel like I am on foreign ground, exiled from my homeland. But God is my sanctuary. He is a safe place in a hostile world.   He is my refuge and where He is is sacred, consecrated and holy. In Him, I can rest, be refreshed and worship.  

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him (Psalm 62:5).

Jill Hardin

All Scriptures are from the Christian Standard Bible.