“They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.
“My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” Ezekiel 37:23-28
Following His promise to bring life and breath to dry bones, what an amazing added promise the Lord tucks into his message through Ezekiel. They would not be left to their own to figure out life and place and destiny. His people Israel would be revived, restored to wholehearted devotion, and return to their homeland. And that forever land would be the sanctuary of God, His dwelling place, His presence to abide in their midst forever. They were His, and He their God. (Solomon 2:16; Ezekiel 37:1-14)
This truth that God is with us as an ever-present sanctuary is powerful to heighten in us a state of constant wonder and thanksgiving. It gives comfort and hope. It bolsters strength and security. It deepens our sense of identity and belonging, and instills courage to stand, serve, and speak. It calms with peace when all around is in flux. It sustains and infuses perseverance. (Exodus 33:14; Psalm 16:8; Matthew 28:18-20)
If we are indeed indwelt with God’s Spirit, what difference is His supernatural presence making in our day-to-day? How often do we behold His greatness, grace, and splendor in focused worship? How accustomed are we to avail ourselves of His supply for every need?
“’A little Sanctuary’ art Thou to me!
O Jesus, best belov’d! I live with Thee;
My heart has found its everlasting home,
Its sure abiding place where’er I roam.
‘A little Sanctuary’ art Thou to me!
My heart is still’d beneath love’s canopy;
The ‘Holiest of All’ is open’d wide,
And I may enter and be satisfied.
‘A little Sanctuary’ art Thou to me!
No fabled shrine, but deep reality!
Thou saidst it should be so when at Thy call
I rose and follow’d gladly, leaving all.
‘A little Sanctuary’ art Thou to me!
All joyfully I pitch my tent with Thee;
Or ready still to journey at Thy word—
‘In Thee’ I ‘live and move,’ most blessèd Lord.
‘A little Sanctuary’ art Thou to me!
I always am ‘at home’ on land or sea;
Alone, yet never lonely now, I prove
The ‘Hundredfold,’ Lord Jesus, in Thy love.” ~Emily Crawford (1938)
Holy God, keep me ever aware of Your abiding, glorious presence, and vigilant to guard and expend my life as Your hallowed sanctuary.
As the rain and snow 