Lord, Prepare Me To Be A Sanctuary
The sun sets behind the trees. A few stars glimmer in the twilight. Cicadas sing from the edge of the forest. An owl calls. And gathered around a campfire, a hundred voices rise together in song.
Lord, prepare me
To be a sanctuary
Pure and holy
Tried and true
With thanksgiving
I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for You
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
What does it mean to be a sanctuary? In the Bible, it means to be God’s dwelling place. In the Old Testament, we see God command the Israelites, “Make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in your midst” (Exodus 25:8). In the New Testament, God’s dwelling place is expanded beyond the walls of a tent or building. Now, God dwells within each believer. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
When we ask God to prepare us to be sanctuaries, we are asking for God to dwell within us.
Pure and holy, tried and true
To be holy means to be set apart, to be different from the world, dedicated for a higher purpose. “Be holy in everything that you do, just as God who chose you is holy” (1 Peter 1:15). Holiness is a process, and it involves surrendering to the will of God to be conformed and shaped by God’s goodness and love.
We go out into our communities, out into the world, purified by the love of God, set apart for the will of God, tested by the Spirit of God, and committed to the true mission of God.
With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for You
Thankfully, we know that no matter what we are going through, God is with us in the fire and in the flood. “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:2-3a).
We can offer ourselves completely to God and rejoice with thanksgiving, because we know that our God is good. Our God is able. Our God is present. It is one of God’s greatest gift to us – the gift of presence. God didn’t create the world, step back, and leave us alone. God pursued us, even in our mess. Even in our brokenness. Even in our failure. And God chooses to dwell within us.
It might just be a simple campfire song, but within its short verse, we can find hope, healing, life, and love.
