Not too long ago, I struggled with the architecture of some church buildings. They seemed too grand, too elevated, almost excessive. I often wondered why a church needed such imposing structures when simpler buildings could seemingly serve the same purpose.
Then came the floods.
As communities were submerged and families displaced, some church buildings became places of refuge. People who had nowhere else to go found shelter within their walls. Buildings I once questioned suddenly made perfect sense. Their height, strength, and capacity were not merely architectural features; they became instruments of compassion.
It reminded me that the Church has never been called to exist for itself. It exists for people.
But beyond bricks and concrete lies a more personal question.
Scripture tells us that we are God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3:16, NKJV). If physical church buildings can provide safety during natural disasters, what happens when people around us are drowning in the unseen floods of life?
Every day, someone is overwhelmed by grief, disappointment, fear, financial hardship, betrayal, or a crisis of faith. Many are stranded emotionally and spiritually, searching for solid ground. Can they find refuge in us?
Do our words offer hope, or do they deepen despair? Does our presence make people feel safe enough to heal? Are we so firmly grounded in Christ that others can lean on us without finding us shaken by every storm? The strength of a temple is not measured only by how well it stands, but also by how well it shelters. Perhaps that is what God desires of His people to become men and women whose lives are built so firmly on Christ that, when the unexpected storms of life arise, others know exactly where to run.
The world does not only need impressive church buildings. It needs believers who are living sanctuaries, carrying the presence, peace, wisdom, and love of Christ wherever they go. When the waters rise, may our lives become places where the stranded find hope, the weary find rest, and the broken discover that God is still our refuge and ever-present help in times of trouble.
Written By: Eunice Appiah ( E.A. Lovida)
TAC-GH, Golf City Assembly
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