In the Center of Everything is God's Sanctuary

I think the point where we find ourselves sincerely and humbly admitting that we don’t know what to do or to think about a situation or, indeed, life in general, is the point God sighs and smiles and says to himself, 

“Finally! Now go into my sanctuary and pray and wait on me and I’ll be over here, doing the doing and the thinking that you are currently at a loss for!” 

(And by sanctuary I am not talking about a physical building or place).

I came to this thought while briefly reading Ezekiel forty-eight. At the end of the chapter, the Lord is laying out the parameters of the dividing up of the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Without getting into the details, the big sudden takeaway I received is that the sanctuary is at the center. 

Now, I read this passage randomly after I sat before the Lord and admitted to him I had no clue how to handle a specific circumstance (not my first rodeo in that department!). I prayed and asked Him for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. I then picked up my Bible and read, 

“In the center of it will be the sanctuary of the Lord.” 

I sat with those words for a time, and realized what God was telling me:

“In this instance,” He said, “go into my sanctuary, shut the door and pray. Wait for further instruction from me—either to remain praying or to take some form of action. I am handling this, and continuing the good work I began in you and everyone else, trust me. If and when I advise you to take an action, remember that my sanctuary is still at the center, with you in it. You will from this day forward always be in my sanctuary, now that you understand I am at the center of every moment of your, and all of, life.”

What great news! I can pray and if anything changes, God will let me know. This is confidence that God can do far more, and in the absolute perfect manner, than I can when I blunder outside of His sanctuary and into my own perspective, reactions, mis-judgements, mis-readings and jumping to wrong conclusions (all of which arise because the sanctuary I am most comfortable in and protective of is the sanctuary of myself).

So today I exit the dysfunctional room of me, and cross the hallway into God’s sanctuary of wisdom, patience, joy and peace. I meet Jesus and the Holy Spirit there. This is the first “do:” It is the willing act, obedience and thought-life of trust. And I am in Good Company. 

copyright Barb Harwood