Psalm 91:1 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
I am neither a seasoned camper nor am I a structural engineer, and yet, even I know a few things about tents.
- Tent owners need to read all the instructions provided.
- It’s just as crucial for tent owners not to stray from the manufacturer’s assembly instructions.
- If you want a tent to be a reliable shelter, then it will need tent poles of various sizes and tent pegs.
- The poles need to be correctly placed so the weight of the tent’s covering is distributed evenly.
- Ties must be attached to pegs that are pounded deep into the ground to ensure a gust of wind won’t blow the tent away.
If we are to dwell safely in the shelter of the Most High, we need to pay attention to the manufacturer instructions. Psalm 127:1 – “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.” We can’t just wing it and hope for the best. We need to make use of every pole and peg in the way He intended so we shelter well.
Prayer, intercession, Bible study, worship, meditating on God’s goodness, sharing testimonies, participating in uplifting fellowship, reaching out to the world around us, times alone with God and times of rest are all vital components of our spiritual home. If even one pole is missing in our shelter’s frame, we might find ourselves exposed to the elements when the tent collapses around us. Individual support and structural posts were never meant to bear the full weight of our tent will buckle under a load they can’t carry alone. They are intended to work together.
Prayer warriors might be tempted only to use the tent posts of prayer and intercession in place of worship and devotional reading. However, the most effective intercessors balance prayer with times of worship to keep discouragement at bay. Worship lovers are wise to anchor their hearts in God’s firm foundation through regular Bible study. Mercy orientated servants need to obey God’s directive to rest and rejuvenate in His presence, or they run the risk of compassion fatigue.
However, when we allow the Lord to build our house, we will find a sanctuary for ourselves, and we will create a safe harbour for those who need shelter.
Isaiah 4:5-6 – “Then the Lord will create over the whole site of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud by day, and smoke and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory there will be a canopy. There will be a booth for shade by day from the heat, and for a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.”
Isaiah 32: 1-2 -“Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.”
Personal Application
Is your shelter missing a few poles? Are you feeling a little unbalanced? Do you find yourself waiting for your ‘favourite’ part of a church service to begin to the point that you become impatient with everything else that is going on? Do you tune out the rest of a church service once your ‘favourite’ part is finished? Are you enamoured with a routine, or are you enamoured with his heart?
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All Bible verses attributed to the ESV version unless otherwise indicated.
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Until Next Week,
©2019 Katherine Walden
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