refuge in reality
not from itI realized afresh that when we enter the church or come before God in any way, we are not escaping from the problems of the real world, but are taking our false problems to the heart of reality.
The centre of the world is the throne of God. When we stand before Him, we not only in the presence of the most powerful decision maker, but of the only significant decision maker. Questions of free will and predestination aside, if God decides that something will happen, nobody can stop it.
This is the greatest comfort possible: stopping our busy lives, resting and praying in the presence of God is not cowardly escapism. It is not a futile attempt to shut out the world and all it's problems. It is not a miracle drug to make us forget our problems. Bringing our problems to God is admitting that He is sovereign over all things: He is the ultimate reality.