“Therefore, tell the exiles, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Although I
have scattered you in the countries of the world, I will be a sanctuary to you
during your time in exile…” (Ezekiel 11:16)

Although discipline is love, it certainly doesn’t feel like it sometimes.

The people of Judah were experiencing the judgment and discipline of God because of their idolatry and wickedness. They were exiles in Babylon.

But in the midst of discipline, the Lord declares to His people:

“…I WILL be a sanctuary to you during your time of exile…”

Sanctuary

The word speaks of a place of holiness.
A place of beauty.
A place of safety and refuge.
A place where God’s presence is known.
A place of peace.

The Father disciplines us and corrects us.
He allows us to experience difficulty and hardship.
Sometimes it may stem from the foolishness of our own choices, sometimes it is the trials that come to test our faith.

But regardless, the Lord declares, “I WILL be a sanctuary to you..”

Sanctuary is something that the Lord has always been.
But sometimes it takes exile, heartache, or difficulty for us to find this out.

Like the Jewish people of old, we turn to our idols, our wealth, our toys, our family for sanctuary –only to find that idols crumble, wealth flies away, toys break and family isn’t always enough.

Only He can truly be an adequate Sanctuary.

When you are scattered — He is a Sanctuary.
When you feel lost — He is a Sanctuary
When you are abandoned — He is a Sanctuary.
When you have nothing — He is a Sanctuary.

Sanctuary is also something that the Lord has designed His church to be.
Ephesians 2:21-22 says that we, His Body are to be fitted together as a holy temple — the habitation of God.

We — His church, are to be a place for the scattered, the lost, the abandoned, those with nothing to come and experience His truth, His love and His presence in our gathering.

Because the Lord has always been a Sanctuary.