What do blanket forts, treehouses, and hideouts have in common? They’re all perfect places to take naps? True, but that’s not the only thing. When we’re kids, we go looking for places of our own where we can feel safe and secure. We call those sanctuaries—places you go to get away from the outside world. Anywhere from a blanket fort in the basement to a hideout in the woods can be a sanctuary.
Maybe it’s been a minute since you built a blanket fort (or not! No judgement here.), but you definitely have a sanctuary. Your car, school, your bedroom… your sanctuary is wherever you go when you need to get away. Having a sanctuary is important because, let’s be honest, when things get rough we all need an escape.
The last verse of Psalm 23 talks about the sanctuary that God provides for us… but not the blanket fort or the treehouse kind. The verse says, “Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”
God promises that we’ll never be able to outrun his goodness and love. No matter what happens or where we go, we’re never separate from him. Have you been through something that made you feel scared or unsafe? You’re not alone. We all have reasons that we need a sanctuary. When you experience something scary, it’s easy to feel alone. But God’s promise is that we’re never alone and that he’s good even when everything else… isn’t. If you choose to invite him into your life, God’s love and goodness go with you through everything—even the tough stuff—and they create a sanctuary inside of you that you never have to leave.
There will always be pain and difficult circumstances in our lives. Sometimes, the world will feel really, really bad. But when we believe that God is good and his promises are true, we can have hope. We don’t just have to try to find an escape—instead, we can believe that God will provide good things for us, even in the midst of pain or distress. We can believe that the world is good because God is good. That’s some good freakin’ news!
You can say yes to receiving God’s goodness. When you do that, his sanctuary goes with you wherever you go. This week, when you’re facing something hard, remind yourself that receiving God means his love and his goodness are always with you.
After you’ve tried that for a few days, we have a second, really tough challenge (for the overachievers): celebrate. Celebrate that God is good—even when things are hard! Celebrate that his promises are true and his love and goodness follow you everywhere. Whether you’re cheersing with a PSL or taking a long drive with the windows down, find a way to celebrate how good God is.
