Enlarge Your Tent

"ENLARGE YOUR TENT"

(prepare for God's blessings)!

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.  Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.  Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.  For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.  For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer. 

-Isaiah 1:1-8

 "Do miracles happen?", you ask... well, let me share with you what the Lord revealed to my own doubtful heart this morning....

Many years back, the Lord gave me this passage of scripture...I have them underlined in my Bible.  I didn't understand at the time what they meant; because, really? How can a barren woman have  "seed" that will make the desolate cities to be full of life?

 The shame I understood...the "hid my face from thee for a moment" concept, I got! The everlasting kindness, I knew possible, but for me? Would it come to pass?  I was a vile person you know, living a life of sin and disgust...how could God EVER use such a woman?  What was He trying to say?

As a child of God, I am living proof, that you CAN NOT straddle a fence trying to keep one foot in the world and one in the ways of God.  You truly are "unstable" in all of your ways...and quite miserable too!  You guys can't begin to imagine the horrid life I lived.  I was so far away from my Savior that that "small moment" where His face was hidden seemed like an eternity.  To even conceive that I had a purpose was foreign to me.

 But, when I finally surrendered all of myself to Him, He set me free.  Free from the life of addiction, free from the life of willing disobedient sin.  Freedom, wow, freedom even from the shame of what I had done.  To know that I don't have to be ashamed of the sins of my youth any longer... that I am forgiven and chosen, is just a gift that I don't deserve.

 You see, He IS making a barren woman's "seed" be so far reaching in their inheritance of Christ, that it will make the desolate cities to be full of life...He told me to ENLARGE my tent, that I shall break forth on the left AND the right.  This truly seems impossible...yet, every single week, my home is filled with the most precious "noise" I have ever heard...my kitchen table peppered with glitter and smudged with glue...the floor full of toys and books that, at the end of the day, I cherish the opportunity to clean up...the little one napping in my bed that I get the privilege of kneeling in prayer for... quiet time that is often NOT so quiet... HE has allowed me the great responsibility and privilege to teach Sunday School to 4 year olds each week at Church, to be a part of their little lives...  I get to care for all these kids, love them and laugh with them, teach them about Jesus and oh yes, most assuredly and thankfully, be taught BY the Lord THROUGH their innocent view of life.

 My once very empty life is now soooo full of children whose lives I get to be a "front row", "from the dugout", "lifetime- 'box-seat' fan",  "first base coach" and "side-line cheerleader" for!!! The price for that ticket, some may say was steep... but to me, it was nothing! It is my honor that God chose to make the womb of my flesh empty; so that, the womb of my heart be full to overflowing!! 

The promises of God are so much greater than I could ever begin to understand.  To think that He loved me even then, in my wretched state just amazes me...to know He has always had a plan for my life...well...YES...miracles DO happen! 

...My life is one of them!!