A Kick in the Pants
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”
Isaiah 54:2
The Old Testament kingdom of Judah needed a kick in the pants, a shot in the arm, a knock on the head. They had rebelled against God, for which God plainly and directly judged through the prophet Isaiah and through foreign nations.
They deserved to be scolded or punished, but God was as wise then as He is now. He simply opened their eyes.
“Your vision is too small because of your pain,” He said, “You’ve focused on your lack—lack of a nation, lack of power, lack of unity, lack of an army. Hang it all! Expand your tent pegs out a few notches and live as if you have it all. Because you do! You have my prophecy of a mighty nation. You have my undying love. My forgiveness. My power. You have me!”
There are days when I need such a vision. I tire easily at times. And when I tire I want to go in my “tent” of pity and frustration and anger. My small tents are comfortable. Though it’s dark and cramped, I feel a sense of comfort.
But not for long. God tells me in Isaiah 54:5 that my Maker is my husband, and He desires my company under a larger tent that I might expand His kingdom with Him. And as I do so, I find the fresh breeze of new strength to deal with my pity, frustration, and anger. I am renewed.
Lord, expand my vision today. Let me see the light of day from Your perspective. Drive home the tent pegs of hope deep and far. Stretch my life to conform to the potential You see.
Finding God’s Plan for Your Life
Like many siblings in households navigating disability, Maria needed God’s help to understand her own identity, story, and calling. And she wants you to discover what she has: that God is close and trustworthy, and that he has a good plan for your life.
