Happy Monday!

B-r-r-r-r-r-r-r! Baby, it’s cold outside with possible snow on Wednesday morning. OMG!

Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is our refuge.”

Psalm 20:1,2 “The Lord hears us in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defends us; Send us help from the sanctuary, and strengthen us out of Zion.”

Did you ever think of the psalms as a prayer book? I know it was written as songs of praise and lament to the Father, but for me many of those wonderful poems are verses of assurance born out of passion and thanksgiving and the need for comfort in times of uncertainty.

A long time ago during a particular time in our lives we were going through great personal crisis. On Christmas Eve night, while I was very pregnant with Travis, we went to the Christmas Eve service. As I walked down the aisle in the candlelit sanctuary not knowing what the future was going to hold, I was hoping for the best and fearing the worst. Our pastor met me at the altar with the bread and the wine and simply stated, “Gaylene, find your strength here.” I will never forget those words and that moment as I needed a place of sanctuary.

The psalmist also says, “God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.” God is our sanctuary when the world seems to be running over us. “When there is nothing left to do, we need to just depend on You (God) and the power of Your name” ( from In the Name Of the Lord – Sandi Patty). Think about a sanctuary. If you are a Disney fan perhaps you have seen the animated story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The outcast people in Paris knew that all they had to do was claim “Sanctuary” and they would be free from persecution and safe from harm. The cry of “Sanctuary!” was honored in this church because it was a holy place. It was a place where God resided.

The psalmist does not speak of a concrete building as a sanctuary. The psalmist speaks of God as being our sanctuary. The psalmist speaks of God being an ever-present help in times of trouble - not just when God has the time or when God thinks we deserve His help. No, the promise is an ever-present help.

Step into the presence of God and claim His ever- present help and He will not only give you sanctuary, God will be your sanctuary.

Step in the sanctuary of God’s presence, be a part of His divine presence and gain the strength to conquer the enemy.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes and a warm coat. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.