Reshaping Dreams: Enlarge Your Tent

Isaiah 54:  A story of Restoration
1 “Shout for joy, O barren one, you who have borne no child;
          Break forth into joyful shouting and cry aloud, you who have not travailed;
          For the sons of the desolate one will be more numerous
          Than the sons of the married woman,” says the LORD.

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent;
          Stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not;
          Lengthen your cords
          And strengthen your pegs.

3 “For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left.
          And your descendants will possess nations
          And will resettle the desolate cities.

4 “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame;
          And do not feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced;
          But you will forget the shame of your youth,
          And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.

5 “For your husband is your Maker,
          Whose name is the LORD of hosts;
          And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel,
          Who is called the God of all the earth.

6 “For the LORD has called you,
          Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
          Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,”
          Says your God.

7 “For a brief moment I forsook you,
          But with great compassion I will gather you.

8 “In an outburst of anger
          I hid My face from you for a moment,
          But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,”
          Says the LORD your Redeemer.

9 “For this is like the days of Noah to Me,
          When I swore that the waters of Noah
          Would not flood the earth again;
          So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
          Nor will I rebuke you.

10 “For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
          But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
          And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,”
          Says the LORD who has compassion on you.

11 “O afflicted one, storm-tossed, and not comforted,
          Behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
          And your foundations I will lay in sapphires.

12 “Moreover, I will make your battlements of rubies,
          And your gates of crystal,
          And your entire wall of precious stones.

13 “All your sons will be taught of the LORD;
          And the well-being of your sons will be great.

14 “In righteousness you will be established;
          You will be far from oppression, for you will not fear;
          And from terror, for it will not come near you.

15 “If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.
          Whoever assails you will fall because of you.

16 “Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals
          And brings out a weapon for its work;
          And I have created the destroyer to ruin.

17 “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper;
          And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.
          This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
          And their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Enlarge the place of your tent, child (Isaiah 54:2).  Allow me to change this dream for you (Isaiah 43:19).  My thoughts are not your thoughts, and my ways are not your ways (Isaiah 5:8-9).  I have your best interest in mind (Jeremiah 29:11).  I promise my dream for you is better than you could imagine (1 Corinthians 2:9).  Enlarge your tent, child.  I am the God who sees you, and  I am watching your courageous faith (Genesis 16:13).    

Breaking Through

Intuition is a gift that the Lord gave me at birth, however it is one that I have only most recently began to celebrate.  That mysterious little N hidden in my Myer’s Briggs analysis (INFJ) has often left me feeling misunderstood and confused among friends, family and peers.  It is amazing though what awareness and also community can do for one.  God brought me into a community of people that not only rejoice in differences, but also taught about them.  In the past several months I have learned and event studied my overall personality type and discovered many of the reasons I have often felt frustrated.  I learned that I see the world a bit differently and I respond much more on the premise of faith and feeling.  You see, I became self aware.  I saw the gift I had been given by the Lord at birth however until most recently I never recognized it for what it was.    

I wonder how many other gifts, talents, strengths and opportunities pass us by everyday unnoticed or unquestioned?  Many of us go so far as to even curse the very gifts we have because we aren't aware of their purposes, plans or intentions in our lives.  We may even hide our talents because we don’t understand them; much less know how to use them.  In the fullness of His time (Galatians 4:4), God brought me the knowledge I needed to grow.  Most importantly in that He brought me a revelation of His character and beauty as a Creator.  The knowledge of my own uniqueness was a gift in of itself because it drew me closer to the heart of my Father.  In many ways this isn't a break through but was rather another story or testament of El Roi breaking through into the life of His child.  He has always known and saw the girl He created over thirty years ago, but there was an appointed time (Habakkuk 2:3) for this lesson.  In finding a new piece of me, I found a little more of Jesus.

I wonder what the Lord is teaching you?  What is He showing you today?  Remember He is there.  His eyes see (Psalm 11:4) and He is aware of where you are.  Let Him break through in your life today.  You Father wants you to learn more about yourself and your relationships, but most importantly He wants you to know Him.

I love this song here by Audrey Assad.  It harmonizes some of these thoughts in a way my prose never will.        

El Roi: The God Who Sees

How does one really come to know someone ?  Does there come a moment where we can say we are fully known and understood?  I believe many of us pick up that thought without the reality or excitement of realizing such depth of understanding is beyond our human capacity.  Even with my closest friends and relatives there will always be experiences, reactions and memories that I will never have access to.  The depth of such possibility should motivate us in our relationships and draw us further down the pathways of life with those we love.  To know and be known... to be in relationship.  That is the stuff of life.

Since coming to know the Lord I have learned that there is only one who truly "knows the way that I take" Job 23:10.  My creator, redeemer and keeper.  He not only made me (Psalm 139:14), but he cared enough for me to redeem me (Ephesians 2:8) and give me a hope and future with Him (Jeremiah 29:11).  He is not distant or detached.  What He created he continues to guide, invest and prepare for. He is the God who knows and sees me.  El Roi is one of my favorite Hebrew names for God.  In Genesis 16 this is the name that Hagar uses in reference to God, who saw her affliction.  For Hagar it meant that God saw her in her hurt and devastation.  One translation shares that it was after God saw her that she really began to recognize God.  

Genesis 16:13:  The Message

She answered GOD by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, "You're the God who sees me!  "Yes!  He saw me; and then I saw him!"  

I have always been one to get lost in the big picture and so this story speaks to me.  Isn't Hagar's story, her reality, just like yours and mine?  Haven't we also had an irresistible encounter with God where He saw our condition and bridged the gap to come into our lives.  Yes, there was a moment where "I saw him" and began to see His character, His ways and His heart.  He is the God who sees.  

So I wonder, have you have taken the time to really "see" those around you today?  I read this and am challenged to be intentional with my gaze and focus.  Not only am I to study the face and character of my God, but I am also called to love what He has loved and created:  those around me.  As a bearer of His image I have been given eyes for a purpose and I have been given a longing to be known for a reason.  There are none that are invisible.  Perhaps today it might be my gaze, my intent or even my attachment that might reflect or lead someone to my God.

Keep your eyes open.  See.  There is not only a God who sees you... but He has also blessed you with the beautiful gift of vision.