I have to be honest…there are times my faith is shaken. There are times my foot ALMOST slips. What do I do when life doesn’t make sense…when I feel like my prayers bounce off the ceiling and never reach heaven’s throne? Where do I go when I feel forgotten and forlorn wondering if God truly cares about my pain? There’s a clue for us in the 73rd Psalm. My foot ALMOST slipped…UNTIL I entered the sanctuary of God.
There’s been many times I nearly lost my foothold. Just when the greatest desire of my heart was fulfilled, I found myself face to face with a diagnosis that wanted to kill, steal and destroy my highest calling in life. Just when it looked like my prayers were finally being answered, the bottom dropped out. Just when I thought things were finally working out for good, my life was turned upside down. Have you been there…confused by conflict and wondering why bad things happen when you’re trying to live for God?
Even recently I’ve had to hold on for dear life while everything I’d held dear and found comfortable was stripped away. Strained relationships and sacrificial decisions brought me to a place where my foot ALMOST slipped again. Just when I thought things were coming together, there was another blow. I nearly lost my foothold…UNTIL I remembered once again to enter the sanctuary of God. It’s the greatest secret to sanity. I hope you have a sanctuary where you can run when life is unfair and challenging.
Sometimes our sanctuary is found in relationships, seeking solace from sympathetic ears who bring a moment of relief. Sometimes our sanctuary is found in food, seeking comfort in sweet delicacies that pamper the palate and somehow soothe our wounded soul. Other sanctuaries might be personal addictions or even overactivity that seem to momentarily drown the pain of troubled times. The best sanctuary is God Himself who assures us our foot won’t slip if we run to Him.
We learn from scripture that Abraham faced the facts…but he never wavered in unbelief. Sometimes it’s best to simply face the facts that life is hard…while determining that we will keep trusting God anyway. The psalmist said that his foot ALMOST slipped UNTIL he went into the sanctuary where it all began to make sense. It’s that place where confusion is turned to understanding…where havoc is turned to peace. Where is your sanctuary? Do you have a place pepared where you can hide away from distractions, a place where you pour out your complaints to God? Do you have a place where you can run when life doesn’t make sense, where an open Bible provides truths for meditation? Do you have a place where praise music saturates the atmosphere and lifts your heart to worship the King? This is more than the place of corporate worship within the four walls of a church building; it’s that space, a special chair or closet where we draw near to God and He comes near to us…somewhere that allows us a quiet retreat from the pain of life. Whenever I enter my sanctuary, God meets me there. He stoops down and pulls me up from the pit, placing my feet on solid ground. He strengthens the path beneath my feet so my ankles don’t turn. My foot does not slip because He is holding me up.
My advice is to run to God’s sanctuary when life is hard…when circumstances don’t make sesnse…and when your world is turned upside down. God will lead you on paths of righteousness when you come running, acknowledging Him in all your ways. Don’t go the way of the flesh or the way the enemy wants to lead you. Face the facts, yes. But run to your sanctuary. Be like Abraham who didn’t waver in unbelief in the face of impossible circumstances. He waited all those years for a son, only to be asked to sacrifice him on the altar. Talk about life not making sense! But Abraham’s faith was strengthened in the sanctuary of God’s presence.
Who knows what God is doing in your life as you sacrifice your will to His! As you go to God first, you will find strength to go on when things don’t make sense. Enter God’s sanctuary and you’ll find the place where your ALMOST becomes your UNTIL…
Thank you Karen. I really needed this today.