Do you find yourself in an unknown place?
Are you feeling as if you are some how on the outside of the end of crowd?
In a season where there is much uncertainty?
Are you reaping the consequences of some bad decisions you made?
Through no fault of your own are the pieces of your life scattered?
I found the words in Ezekiel 11:16 comforting as I read them
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.
Despite what religious people may have us to believe, our faith is not an avoid all trouble and uncomfortable places free card. Life hands us the unpleasant and some of it is a result of our own poor choices. Yet even in that God provides a place of rest and refuge.
The people were not going to avoid being exile but right in the midst of them being away from all that represented home and places of comfort to them, God promised to be their sanctuary.
And He provides the same for us now right where we are.
Sharing with Three Word Wednesday, Word-filled Wednesday, Wholehearted Wednesdays, A Lil R & R and Doing You Well Wednesday
Wanda – What a beautiful verse & post! I am writing this verse down to truly think about today. And I will definitely be sharing this most encouraging post this week. Thank you for watering my soul this morning!
Blessings,
Joanne
Glad to hear this resonated with Joanne. I would love to hear what you glean from that passage.
Good Morning Wanda – Little did I know how much this one verse would speak to me. Not even sure I can properly express it all 🙂 But here is my feeble attempt:
1) sometimes we are sent into exile(or scattered depending on the translation) by the Lord Himself. There is something to be learned even in that place of exile. Or perhaps something to be done, or someone to be ministered to. It isn’t always all about us. {ouch!!}
2) The Lord went with them into their time of exile. He did not send them & abandon them. And so He goes with us as well.
3) Sanctuary – it denotes a sacred place, a being set apart, the place where God was manifested. And yes, He is that to us. A sanctuary. Even when we feel out there, in exile, He will manifest Himself to us.
Wanda, it was interesting to me that the cross reference in my NLT Bible was Jeremiah 29: 7 & 11 which then brought this to light for me:
1) we are to pray for the very places we are sent to. Even in exile, they were told to pray for the peace & prosperity of that place.
2) He alone knows the purposes for which we are in those places. It is not to our detriment but to give us a future & a hope.
So, Wanda, you keep bringing the word! You, my friend, have watered my soul & I am most grateful to our God for that!
Blessings,
Joanne
Joanne, thanks for sharing those nuggets you pulled from those passages. I too found that cross reference In Jeremiah 29 and the fact that they were called to pray for the place they were in stood out to me as well. Your insights has got my mind stirring and reflecting again on these passages.
Beautiful, ecouraging words of truth, Wanda. Perfect timing.
Pam glad to hear you were encouraged as I was.
Amen! I’m so grateful that He is our sanctuary.
Indeed He is a place of rest and refuge for us.
Wanda, that verse just touched my heart today. You know that I continue to have trouble *adjusting* to living in my new mountain place. And yes, lately I have felt a bit *out of the loop* – lonely and lost. What a comfort to know that God is with me, and with me in an especially intimate way! He is the place of rest…
GOD BLESS!
Sharon, isn’t it encouraging to know that He is with us even in those places would rather move out of quickly. In those very places we can find a sanctuary in Him. I’ve been reading and rereading that passage of scripture for several days now and each time gives me such hope and encouragement.
I hope so.
I found out that my prayer is not apparently going to be answered. What I wanted so badly from someone I loved seems to have been given to someone else.
If he is making a mistake, it will take care of itself. I hope whatever God has planned for me instead, it happens quickly, because I can’t do this any more. It’s just too much.
Just remember that God does have a plan and His plans often far exceed anything we could imagine Elizabeth.
Yeah, I guess…if he came back now, it really WOULD be a miracle.
Well miracles certainly can happen 🙂
Beautiful and true! We will have trials, but it’s the peace during the storm that grows our faith and lends us more endurance than we thought we had. Yep! Blessings!
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So true Cynthia. We learn some lessons in the storm that we could never quite understand when we are abiding in places of delight and comfort.
It’s frustrating to feel on the outside even though you thought you were accepting what God had provided (what you prayed for). But sometimes it’s not because of YOUR choices, but because of someone else’s.
I am doing my best to trust this feeling of “Calm, calm, it’s okay, don’t worry,” as coming from God while He handles this. I asked for a miracle, but now I have to let Him do it, I guess.
OKAY I GET IT
Yes Elizabeth, some things are not a result of our choices. May you find rest and peace in Him as you wait for the fulfillment of prayers.
Very true!
Hi Akaleistar, may we each cling to those truths.
Those words truly are comforting!
Indeed they are Susannah. May we hold onto those words of comfort.
Our faith is not a get out of jail free card – it’s a get out of life alive card!
I’m definitely in an uncertain place now with where I want to go artistically
Get alive card…I love that Alex. You said it perfectly 🙂 I’m sure God will bring clarity on which direction for you take.
Simply wonderful Wanda,
One of those verses, that makes you stop…..ponder….and mediatate on the goodness of our faithful God!
Yes it is Carole, I have been going back over it and chewing on it so more. Some times I think we move on to the next passage a little too fast before we get all the nutrients God has for us in a particular passage.
Thank you for these encouraging words Wanda and for sharing it with Three Word Wednesday. Sending hugs your way.
Much love,
Beth
Ahh many thanks to you Beth. Always a pleasure to join you when I can.
So grateful that He is all that and more. A soft place to fall, a cave in which to hide, a fortress that ensures complete protection. Grace, grace, and more grace.
Yes, Yes, Yes! That He is so much for us Alison.
Comforting words, Wanda. Thanks so much for making me think back through things in my life and see God as being my sanctuary.
Judith, glad you found those words comforting as I did. Many blessings.
Loved this Wanda! It reminds me of the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat during the storm. Just as He rested in the midst of the storm, so should we. Knowing that it doesn’t matter what’s going on during the storm, because we already know the end…that we’re getting to the other side! Thank you my friend for sharing these scriptures! Blessings!
So true Michell the waves of storms are sure to come but it never separates us from the One, who calms the storms.
Such a hopeful post! Thank you for your lovely words and this perfect scripture!
Hi Shelly, so great to have you stop over. In difficult times it’s comforting to cling onto God’s promise of being a sanctuary for us. Hope you have a great weekend.
Oh AMEN! He is my refuge, my strength. In Him in find my rest. Thank you for sharing!
Blessings to you Barbie!
Hi Wanda,
What a perfect verse when we feel the attacks of the evil one as he strikes out at us when we are at our weakest point. He is there to tempt us into sin and to cause us to lose hope. We know we can’t overcome these attacks on our own strength; we must turn to the mighty fortress and sanctuary that is our God!
Blessings my friend; I hope you are having a great weekend!
Denise
Denise, my weekend has been spent recovering from a wisdom tooth extraction 🙁 But all is well. I found such encouragement and hope as I have read and reread that passage.
Thank you for the reminder!
Hi Michelle! We all need that reminder from time to time. Hope your week is off to a great start.
Beautiful words Wanda! They were actually much needed this morning. I came over from the Blogs by Christian Women link-up. It is so awesome how God leads us exactly where we need to be :). He is always with us regardless of where we are…
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Hi Candace, glad to have you come over from the BCW link-up! We certainly appreciate your support of the blog. Yes God is with us even if we us even if we make our beds in Hell we can not escape His presence. Just the thought of that amazes me. Hope you and & your family enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving.
I’m so grateful for God’s promises!
Me too Rachel. They are truths that we can stand on even when it seems like everything else is falling apart around us.
Great post Wanda! Sometimes we get ourselves in the rut but God’s mercy shows up!!!
Oh where would we be without His grace & mercy?
This article is a great reminder of my place of refuge in God. I have one thing in particular that I’m uncertain about in my life right now. But in all my uncertainty, it’s wonderful to know that no matter the outcome, God will see me through it. Great article!
Marilyn, I too have some places of uncertainly that’s exactly why this passage really resonated with me. So glad to be able to connect with you via Blogs by Christian Women. I look forward to getting to know you more.