Sanctuary
Terry Clark Lyrics
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Pure and holy, tried and ture
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You
It is you, Lord
Who came to save
The heart and soul
It is you Lord
Who knows my weakness
Who gives me strength,
With thine own hand.
Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary
Pure and Holy, tried and true
With thanksgiving I'll be a living
Sanctuary for you
Lead Me on Lord
From temptation
Purify me
From within
Fill my heart with
You holy spirit
Take away all my sin
Lord prepare me to ba sanctuary
Pure and holy, tried and ture
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
Sanctuary for You
The song 'Sanctuary' by Terry Clark is a prayerful and heartfelt composition sung in the form of a plea to God to sanctify the singer's heart to be pure and holy. The opening line, "Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true", acknowledges the fact that the singer is not yet perfect but desires to be made holy and transformed. The use of 'sanctuary' is significant in this song. It is symbolic of a holy temple or a place where God will come to dwell. By asking to be prepared to be a sanctuary, the singer means that he wants his heart to be made holy, so that God can come and reside within him.
The lyrics in the second stanza further emphasize the singer's need for God's saving power: "It is you, Lord, who came to save, the heart and soul of every man". The singer acknowledges that he cannot save himself but is confident that God can. He also recognizes that he is weak but that God can give him the strength he needs to overcome his weaknesses. The song ends with a plea to God to lead the singer away from temptation, purify his heart, fill him with His Holy Spirit, and take away his sins. The refrain, "Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary, pure and holy, tried and true, with thanksgiving I'll be a living sanctuary for you" is repeated throughout the song as a reminder of the singer's desire to be sanctified.
Overall, 'Sanctuary' by Terry Clark is a moving expression of the Christian's desire to be made pure and holy before God so that He can dwell within them. It is a reminder that we cannot save ourselves, but we can trust in God's saving power to transform us from the inside out.
Line by Line Meaning
Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary
Request to God to prepare the singer to be a holy place
Pure and holy, tried and true
Asking for perfection, upright and thorough in all aspects
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living
A solemn promise to be grateful and always strive to please
Sanctuary for You
A promise to be a defensive refuge for God's honor
It is you, Lord
Recognizes God as the one and only savior
Who came to save
Acknowledging that only God can save people'
The heart and soul
Asking God to rescue the whole being of a person
Of every man
A plea for God to save everyone
It is you Lord
Recognizing God as the leader
Who knows my weakness
Admitting the artist's vulnerabilities that only God knows
Who gives me strength,
Also recognizing the source of the strength to overcome weaknesses
With thine own hand.
Acknowledging that the strength is from God
Lead me on Lord
A request for guidance
From temptation
Asks for deliverance from evil ways
Purify me
A plea for purification, physically and spiritually
From within
Asking for inner purification
Fill my heart with
Requesting for God to overtake the artist's heart
Your holy spirit
Asking for the Holy Spirit to always be present
Take away all my sin
A plea for the cleansing of sins
Contributed by Hunter V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.