Close your eyes for a few moments. Picture in your mind your dream getaway place. That place where you can forget all your troubles, chill out, and not worry at all about your overloaded life. Is it an oceanfront condo, a wilderness house next to a beautiful lake, or a cabin in the mountains? Okay wake up! Let's get back to reality.

Have you ever wondered where Hawaiians go to get away from it all? Believe it or not, many go to Las Vegas, to the tune of 300,000 trips a year. The cost of living has become so great on the islands that there are now more than 60,000 Hawaiians living in Las Vegas. They have left paradise to live in the desert.

Talk about a getaway, while visiting Greece last spring, I found the place where I think I will take my next sabbatical. Take a look. [Show slides.] These pictures were taken in Meteora, home of monasteries that date back to the Middle Ages. To keep from being contaminated by the world, they felt it important to get completely away from it all. So they built these monasteries hundreds of feet up the mountains so they could live secluded lives for 20-25 years.

Most of us can't afford a regular visit to the ocean, wilderness, mountains, or Meteora, Greece. The cost is too high and the distance is too great. But we still need a sanctuary regardless. And I believe that each of us can find this sanctuary right where we live, no matter what our circumstances are.

In fact, if you're experiencing overload, you must find a sanctuary. That's our theme today as we continue our studies called "Help for Overloaded Lives." We're overloaded by the pace, pressures, and pain of life. Last week we talked about the importance of enjoying a Sabbath, a day for worship, rest, and recreation, each week.

God never intended for you to withdraw completely from the world. But in order to keep unstained by the world, you must find a sanctuary where you can regularly withdraw yourself from the world. I'm talking about a place where you can receive direction and sustenance from God.

I'm not talking about a worship service, family time, or hanging out with friends. Those things can be a vital part of your Sabbath. I'm talking about a specific kind of Sabbath, a place where you can regularly rest in the Lord, a place where you and He can meet one-on-one. I know the concept of a sanctuary goes against the grain of our worldly standards which thrive on overload. But it is so critical to your total well-being.

The Bible says, "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). In the Old Testament God designed a place for people to meet Him. First, it was a tabernacle. Then it was a temple. But when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, there was a major shift. The sanctuary was no longer a building. The sanctuary was in the heart of believers. This means that you and I can meet with Him one-on-one because we are the temple. But what good is it if we have God's Spirit dwelling within our hearts if we never stop to spend time with Him?

Cell phones are a great convenience. How did we ever survive without them? But my cell phone has a battery. Almost every day, or at least every other day, I have to put recharge the battery. It can't go a week or month without being recharged. Your soul needs frequent recharging. And a sanctuary is where you get your spiritual batteries re-energized. It is a place where you reinvigorate your spirit.

When considering your need for a sanctuary to help you with your overloaded life, think about these three main characteristics. First, a sanctuary involves the stopping of human interaction. The key word here is solitude.

Our world suffers from what I guess you could call "herd" syndrome. We have a herd mentality. When a new version of X-Box hits the shelf, people by the thousands run out at midnight to get the product. On Friday nights we herd ourselves into the theater. On fall Saturdays we herd ourselves into football stadiums. We herd ourselves into buying shares of the latest, sure-winner stock. We're like a herd of cattle. If one steer gets spooked, they all take off.

When we don't pull away from the herd mentality, it is easy to lose perspective. God calls us to be different, which means we must step outside the normal overload that plagues our lives.

There is no greater example than Jesus. He never followed the leads of the herd. But He did have herds following Him. On once occasion, the Bible attests that five thousand men, plus their wives and children, were following Him. Jesus sought solitude. Listen to the Bible: "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone" (Matthew 14:22-23).

Here's another example from Jesus: "At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them" (Luke 4:42). Actually, this verse is kind of comical because it's so true to life. Have you ever tried to hide in your home for some solitude, but no matter where you go, your family members will seek you out and find you? Young mothers especially can relate to this. Everyone seems to have an agenda for your life. Right? We can't do everything, but there are some things we must do. And solitude is one of those things. But beware! As soon as you find it, people will be coming after you.

I'm encouraged when I learn that Jesus needed solitude also. The Bible says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed" (Mark 1:35). Jesus refused to be dictated by others' urgent needs. He knew that there would always be needy people calling for attention. But He was wise enough to withdraw from the crowds. He knew that finding solitude, stopping human interaction, helped Him gain perspective, which in turn helped Him better deal with the many demands seeking to overload His life.

Second, a sanctuary involves the stopping of noise. The key word here is silence. Part of my sabbatical last spring was a family trip to New York City. As much as we enjoyed our visit, there is one noticeable characteristic that I did not like. There is no silence. The city is one non-stop noise factory. I don't care what time of day, what part of the city, or even from atop the Empire State Building, noise invade every square foot of the city.

New York City serves as a picture of modern life. Noise has crowded out every possible moment of silence. But God designed us in a way that we need periods of silence for our total well-being. If a TV is always on or headset from your IPod, how can you ever hear the voice of God?

The Bible talks about silence. David, the songwriter, says, "My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken….My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him" (Psalm 62:1-2, 5). David disciplined himself to wait in silence before God. If you're overloaded, you probably long for silence. But some of you are addicted to noise and activity. It's almost like you're afraid of silence.

Either way, it is important that you force the issue and create some silence in your life. The Bible says great rewards await you if you do this. "The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD" (Lamentations 3:25-26).

The most mature Christians I know, the one's who seem to have the deepest relationship with God, are those who have implemented the discipline of solitude and silence into their lives. Silence means no outward speaking. Sometimes silence includes talking with God, reading or writing. But sometimes silence needs to be maintained inwardly as well, meaning that you aren't talking to God, reading or writing. You're silent so that you can listen for God's voice in your soul. And, yes, I believe God does speak…that is, if we would just listen.

Third, a sanctuary involves the stopping of activity. The key word here is stillness. This means that you stop all your tasks for the sole task of meeting with God. For the overloaded, non-stop person, this task can be extremely difficult. But it is essential.

God knows we need a cessation of activity. And when we refuse to slow down and stop, just know that sometimes He takes over and forces us to stop. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters" (Psalm 23:1-2). He might put us in a hospital bed or beside the hospital bed of another. Sometimes He will remove the obstacles that we claim prevent us from being still, like a job or a relationship.

The best way to generate stillness in your life is to do so out of your own will. You simply decide on your own to include some cessation of activity. The Bible says, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Another translation says, "Cease striving, and know that I am God."

You need a sanctuary in your life. But how in the world do you go about finding one? After all, you have so many demands on your life. Your family demands a lot from you; your job demands a lot from you; your volunteer service demands a lot from you. Is it possible or is it realistic to think that you can find a sanctuary to help you overcome your overloaded life? How can you find a place where you can meet God in solitude, silence and stillness?

The key to finding this sanctuary is to become a closet Christian. Yes, you need to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. But you also need to become a closet Christian. Jesus said, "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you" (Matthew 6:6). The old King James Version calls the inner room your "closet."

How do you find such a closet? It may require some creativity on your part, but you can do it. In the Old Testament, Isaac's closet was a field. David's closet sometimes was a cave; other times it was a bedroom. Hezekiah turned in his bed with his face to the wall. That was his closet. Elijah had a small upstairs room in an older couple's home. Jesus often went to the mountain. Peter's closet was on a rooftop.

Susannah Wesley, the mother of revivalists John and Charles Wesley, was the mother of nineteen children. With all the demands on her she still had a sanctuary. She sat in a kitchen chair and threw her apron over her head. The children knew not to bother their mother when the apron was over her head because she was in her sanctuary talking to God.

Like I said, sometimes you must be creative. Certainly there is a place of escape in your house, even if it is inside a closet. If you're in your car frequently, that can become your sanctuary. Kevin's transmission went out recently, which put me in our '94 Toyota pickup. The truck has only a radio, and it is down to one speaker which crackles and vibrates all the time. I miss my CD player. But one of the things that has helped (since my car is often a sanctuary for me) is that I have some Bible verses on 4x6 cards. And I meditate on them while driving. This week I've been pondering Psalm 115:3 which says, "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him."

Everyone's sanctuary will be a little different from everyone else's. But that's the beauty of it. God meets us where we are. Whether it's a car, a bedroom, a rooftop, a closet, or under the stars, if you choose a sanctuary, I promise God will meet you there. I know that because I know God wants to be where you are.

So if you're overloaded, it's time to find a sanctuary. It's not choosing a location that is the key. It's what happens there when you go to your sanctuary. God meets you. He builds solitude, silence and stillness into your life. He provides rest for your weary soul. Aren't these the things you need in your life to help you with overload? Spending time in your sanctuary can mean all the difference in the world to you.