S33P1 – The fruit of trust in God: sanctuary
Psa. 91:1-2
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord , “He is my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!”
We have all been there. We experience a certain kind of day for one reason or another, and all we can think about is the moment when we get to go home. Difficult travels, a stressful work day and bad weather are only a few of the reasons we may feel this way. I recall getting ready to board a flight after I had been up over 24 hours. The last leg of this journey would be a single 14-hour flight. In that moment, it seemed like I would never get home. It is not like I was returning to some glistening ocean front mansion or a luxury mountain cabin. The home that awaited me was nothing special at all, but it was still home. It was my sanctuary, and it was mine. Getting there would bring me a feeling of rest and normalcy. The world would stop at my front door and not go beyond the threshold. That is the kind of sanctuary that God provides to those who trust him.
The refuge and rest that we receive when we trust in God is really peace. It is a place where we can go that the world cannot enter. It is a fortress within which we find only those things that spiritually renew us. We can think of this as a castle that sits in the middle of chaos. We are knights being sent out into the chaotic land to do God’s work. In order for us to do that successfully, we must remember to regularly return to the fortress and refuel and equip ourselves. Inside the fortress there is peace. That is where we can prepare and grow. The chaos that we encounter outside the fortress cannot enter; the chaos remains beyond the walls. When we encounter it in our daily battles, we confront the chaos with the peace that has surrounded us and filled us. That is the fuel and the artillery that we need. And after a period of rest and refilling, we are ready to fight the chaos again.
To experience rest in God is just like sleep. When we are asleep, there is no worry. Our minds are at rest, and our bodies are at rest. A leaky faucet or an unpaid bill or a fractured relationship all pause for that time. One has to be conscious for those things to matter. When we are at rest in God, the worries and troubles that could consume us fade into the background. What comes to the forefront is the peace that God gives us that passes all understanding. That is how we are able to concentrate not on the struggle but on the One who will bring relief. When we rest in God we cast our cares on him like pennies into a fountain. Father, thank You for providing a place of peace and rest where the chaos of this world cannot intrude and where can be renewed in You.