At the beginning of advent, I typically choose a devotional book to take me through this chaotic season, hoping it will keep me grounded in the truths of why we wait for Christmas. I select something that will guide me through the events of the birth of Christ. However, this year, I wish to recommend something a little different.
Sanctuary by Denise J Hughes is not an advent book in your typical sense. Yet I feel it is the ideal thirty-one-day devotional to take us through the last month of the year, and that there is no coincidence in its release date of 1 December 2022.
For many of us, this is the most hectic month, and the very time when we long for Sanctuary. It is a season that is meant to focus on Jesus. Yet he can be crowded out by all the noise. Many of the things that are designed to draw us closer to him actually push us away, as they become sources of pressure. Our to do lists grow. WE sit through church services with our minds awhirl, trying to figure out how we will comply with the ever-increasing demands placed upon our time and energy reserves.
Denise J Hugh’s latest book was birthed out of her desire to live a quiet life, based on Paul’s statement in 1Thessalonians 4: 11. “Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.” In thirty-one daily reflections, Denise seeks to show us what a quiet life is, and what it is not.
In the age of social media and online pressures, Denise helps us understand the value of balancing the time we spend engaging with technology against face-to-face communication with the people God has placed in our lives. She does not seek to turn us away from social media, but encourages her readers not to let it take over. She tries to steer us away from the pressure to conform and to seek approval from people we will never likely meet this side of heaven.
Denise urges us to enjoy God’s creation, the gifts he has given, and the people he has brought into our lives. She also teaches about the need for silence and times of prayer, reflection, and Bible study.
A quiet life doesn’t require enforced silence and solitude, although sometimes these things are a blessing. Having a quiet heart doesn’t force us to withdraw from people, but we should ensure that God’s voice is our primary influence.
The true secret to a quiet life is drawing closer to our Saviour, and Denise encourages us to do that on each of the thirty-one days. She reminds us of the various forms of sanctuary. In the Old Testament, there was the tabernacle, then the temple. For the modern-day Christian, we have our churches, Bible study groups, etc. Sanctuary may mean different things to different people, depending on our personalities and the season we are going through. However, it is only a true sanctuary when it is found in Jesus.
Thank you, Denise, for helping me to take stock, sit back, and re-evaluate the importance and meaning of a quiet life.
Check out the book on GoodReads Here