from Gadsby's Hymns, 173

Christ a Sanctuary

To see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Ps. 63:2

Honour and majesty are before Him: strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ps. 96:6

Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. And He shall be for a sanctuary. Isa. 8:13-14a

Jesus before Thy face I fall,
My Lord, my Life, my Hope, my All;
For I have nowhere else to flee,
No sanctuary, Lord, but Thee.

In Thee I every glory view,
Of safety, strength, and beauty too;
Beloved Savior, ever be
A Sanctuary unto me.

Whatever woes and fears betide,
In Thy dear bosom let me hide;
And, while I pour my soul to Thee,
Do Thou my Sanctuary be.

Through life and all its changing scenes,
And all the grief that intervenes,
Tis this supports my fainting heart ,
That Thou my Sanctuary art.

Apace the solemn hour draws nigh,
When I must bow my head and die;
But O what joy this witness gives,
Jesus, my Sanctuary lives!

He from the grave my dust will raise;
I in the heavens will sing His praise;
And when in glory I appear,
He'll be my Sanctuary there.

As I read this hymn I thought of those verses in John 6; "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

This hymn may be sung to the tune of Blessed Assurance or When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.

Relief

"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." PSA. 57:1

It is believed that David wrote this psalm while hiding in a cave from King Saul of Israel. You, perhaps remember the story of Saul and David. For many years, Saul, for no good reason, sought to kill David. Stop and think on that for a moment, to literally live from day to day with the threat of physical death lingering over your head.

These were the "calamities" that David sought relief from. The word translated 'calamities' carries the meaning of ruin, iniquity, evil, and wickedness. For me it is hard to compare my life's troubles with David's life's calamities. Nevertheless, I am reminded by him that true refuge and therefore true relief is found only in Almighty God.

To seek refuge in something or someone else is worthless. Jonah called these false refuges "lying vanities", Jeremiah referred to them as "broken cisterns". We might, perhaps, find temporary relief in these other refuges but in the scope of eternity they will eventually give way like the house built on sand.

Believers have a different hope and a different refuge. Jesus said; "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me." Our refuge is Christ; He, alone, is appointed by God as the way, the truth and the life. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

May we say with the psalmist; "Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.