Sanctuary For Souls

The compassion of Christ for humanity is revealed in the peace and rejuvenation He provides when we lay our burdens at His feet. In Jesus we find sanctuary for our souls. When we humble ourselves in a posture of repentance, He overwhelms us with love, mercy and forgiveness and leads us into spiritual renewal and restoration.

Jesus summons us to bring our troubled hearts to Him and find comfort. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

The human soul can be restless, anxious and feel beat up when we become overwhelmed by life’s challenges. Those who are bruised and carry the heartbreak from failed relationships, failed business ventures or failed careers can display cumulative and often multilayered weariness. Victims of war, violence, famine and perpetual poverty can live in hopelessness not knowing if they will live to see another day. Add the weight of sin to that mix and life can seem insurmountable. In our brokenness, we can become discouraged, depressed or even suicidal.

THE LORD IS CLOSE TO THE BROKEN HEARTED

It is often when people hit rock bottom that they cry out in distress, “God help me!!!” And in the sincerity of their anguish, Jesus meets them there. Whether it be in the gutter of alcoholism, drug addiction or in the aftermath of divorce or persecution, when we are at our lowest, we are confronted by our need for God. That’s when God demonstrates His word, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted.” (Psalm 34:18).

Man was created to have a relationship with God and when we don’t, we are at the mercy of our own limitations and wisdom. We fill the void meant for God with whatever gives us short term satisfaction and fulfillment. When things go well, we are fine without God, but when they don’t, we are left wanting and we turn to whatever our enemy has made readily available to pacify us.

We self medicate with drugs or alcohol to dull the pain of depression, or adultery to soothe the disappointment of a failing marriage, or we turn to violence to appease the injustice we have experienced at the hands of oppression. When the going gets exceedingly tough, the vulnerability caused by the fallen state of man is exposed and exploited.

For additional context, the citizens of first century Judea were burdened with the weight of keeping the Mosaic Law which was central to their culture. Jesus highlighted the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:4, when He said, “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” Today, societal influence and peer pressure to behave a certain way can have the same affect.

JESUS PROMISES WHAT LIFE COACHES CANNOT

Jesus promises what life coaches cannot. He offers salvation as opposed to self help placebos and platitudes. And Jesus delivers what religion cannot. Muslims attempt to achieve the five pillars of peace and Buddhists search for the four-fold path to enlightenment, while Hindus work for inner peace through practicing yoga, dharma and meditation in order to find moksha. But Jesus gives Himself and offers us rest for our souls. Jesus provides sanctuary.

In Psalm 62:5-7, King David proclaims, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.”

And Psalm 46:1 tells us “God is our refuge and strength.” And God speaks to us in verse 10, “Be still and know that I am God.” The song lyrics, “Be still, my soul, our God is a refuge, the rest for our souls,” celebrate the reprieve we have in rest that is both internal and eternal. The assurance that no matter what the society throws at us, Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Our Creator incarnated as a man so that we could relate to Him and have access to Him. Jesus calls us to enter into a relationship with Him in which we become yoked with Him. When we do, He doesn’t remove our burdens, but He helps shoulder the weight. Jesus offers forgiveness and understanding in a world where forgiveness and understanding are in very short supply.

His burden is light because He has paid the price of our redemption and all He asks of us is to sincerely believe. He promises that when we do, He will provide eternal life. He promises freedom from the wrath of God and freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1). Furthermore, the lightness of His yoke provides a peace that transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7).

LEARN FROM ME

Jesus also said, “Learn from Me.” He lived in perfect unity with our heavenly Father and was always at peace with Himself. His humility and gentleness were evident in everything He did – from His compassion for the sick and crippled to His willingness to forgive His murderers. Jesus set the example of how to live a holy life in harmony with God.

To learn from Jesus is to learn from God Himself. Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and also its author. Only He can offer the perfect perspective of how to live in a manner that truly serves God from the heart in fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:33. “I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” Jesus teaches us inward righteousness as opposed to the external righteousness of religion.

So, when Jesus chastised the Pharisees saying, “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8), and called them “whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27), He was emphasizing the hypocrisy of their ways in contrast to His ways. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart and in Him we find rest for our souls. He is our role model and mentor.

Jesus exemplifies what discipleship ought to look like in contrast to self-righteousness and pride. When true believers surrender the throne of their hearts to Jesus, He elicits good works in the form of love and reverence for God and loving others as themselves. Deeds of goodness that not only bless those in need but refresh the giver as well, providing a profound existential peace and ultimate well-being that is true rest for the soul.

Not only did Jesus set an example that His followers can strive to replicate, He also articulated instructions meant to guide believers down the narrow path, that are recorded in the gospels. Not only are His words pragmatic but they also invoke a deep conviction to be obedient because Jesus is the very bread of life (John 6:35).

Jesus taught that we are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-39). He also advocated that the kingdom of God is within believers (Luke 17:21) and that we are to seek God’s kingdom first (Matthew 6:33).

Jesus also instructed that we shouldn’t love money and that no one can serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). He taught that “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26).

Another lesson that Jesus taught is recorded in the text of Matthew 23:11-12. “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Additionally, Jesus said that if we are to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily (Matthew 16:24).

Jesus tutors us to live the way God designed life to be lived. In harmony and communion with Him through our relationship with Christ. And in order to follow through with our calling, we must have faith. We must believe that Christ is who He said He was and that He will do what He promised.

When we humble ourselves and approach the grace of Christ in faith, seeking His protection, we enter into a sanctuary like no other. He brings us into His fortress of mercy and offers rest for our weary souls that is lasting and penetrating to the very depth of our innermost being, and leads to spiritual renewal and restoration. Jesus provides true sanctuary for our souls.