STRETCH

Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them STRETCH out the curtains of your habitations; do not spare, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes – Isaiah 54:2

God is motivating us to not only “press” but also to “stretch” – to reach out beyond the ordinary – higher and farther;  to break out of the box. If we refuse to stretch, God may have to stretch us for our good! You are meant to stretch yourself in life. Does it seem like you are walled around? Perhaps others built the walls; maybe you built them yourself, or in alliance with others. However it happened, you are not meant to remain walled in. Your vision of what God can do through you never reaches beyond such walls.  That’s why God is motivating you to break out of the box. How do you do it? The first step is: “Sing…”; even if your condition appears to be spiritually barren, begin to take steps to prepare for imminent fruitfulness. The Lord told “barren” Jerusalem to “sing” and to “break forth into singing.” God is saying, “Don’t allow the feeling of barrenness dip you in discouragement or despondency.” The past cycles of struggles and failures do not have to define your future.

In verse 1, barren Jerusalem was called to rejoice and prepare even before she saw her children. Others may have declared that she was desolate; but not God. If Jerusalem was going to have numerous children she had to make room for them. Notice the series of instructions: “enlarge…stretch….do not spare, lengthen….strengthen…”! Using the illustration of a tent, the Lord was saying: “get ready for growth; prepare for the influx”. He commanded Israel to enlarge the place of her tent, to stretch out her curtains, to lengthen her cords and to strengthen her pegs; that is, to make her tent bigger and stronger. They were being called to prepare for something extraordinary! To “enlarge the place of your tent” implies enlarging your vision (vv.2-3). Such preparation requires diligence fuelled by faith. This was similar to Noah, who built the ark and even entered it before the rains came (Gen. 6:13-7:5). Jerusalem was to “spare not”; to cast off restraints and work with great expectation.

Israel’s unique preparation through expansion was necessary because Jerusalem will not only resettle her own desolate cities but “spread abroad to the right and to the left” to the south and to the north. Her descendants would “possess nations”; they “shall possess the gate of their enemies” (Gen. 22:17). Just as expectant parents create room before their children arrive, we must make room in our hearts, prayers, and lives for God’s promised increase. Moreover, every pregnant woman knows the reality of “stretchmarks.” The same is true in the spiritual: we need some “spiritual stretchmarks”! Grace does not cancel faith’s corresponding action or diligence in the application of effort. Even the Great Commission is about reaching out, stretching and spreading: from Jerusalem, to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth (Mt.28:19; Acts 1:8).

In the Pursuit of Purpose, be ready to stretch or be stretched spiritually, mentally, and physically. The human spirit has been likened to an elastic band: the more you stretch, the greater your capacity. Mentally, your communion with the Creator stirs up creativity; which expands your mind, and stretches it beyond your current reality into realms of divinity. Physically, you may not realise until you try, how far you can stretch yourself to do more than what you have to do. You can break your own records. You can put in a little better than your prior best. Why agree with the average? Why settle for mediocrity? Growth in any dimension comes with stretch. Ease doesn’t change you. Convenience wouldn’t challenge. There is no virtue in simply coasting along. Athletes are familiar with the home stretch – the rest of the race to which the runner invests the best of his or her energy. God is calling you to such disposition in life and destiny; not half-measures, but sacrificial stretching up to Glory!