Isaiah 54:2 says, “Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out, do not hold back; lengthen your ropes and drive your pegs deep.”
When I was growing up and I didn’t want to try something new or eat something I had never eaten, my Dad would always say to me, “Come on, Brandon. Expand your horizons!” I didn’t always appreciate what he was trying to teach me. He knew that the very new thing he was trying to get me to experience could very well be my new favorite thing. I, meanwhile, thought that he was trying to poison me. I’m just kidding, of course. It wasn’t until I was a little older that I realized there was an exciting world of new tastes, experiences and, even, people if I would do what he said — expand my horizons.
The Bible encourages us with this same principle. Isaiah 54:2 says, “Enlarge the site of your tent, and let your tent curtains be stretched out, do not hold back; lengthen your ropes and drive your pegs deep.” This verse is much more than the prayer of Jabez in I Chronicles 4, where Jabez prays for God to expand his borders. Scholars believe this was a challenge to Israel to prepare for the new covenant that Jesus would usher in and prepare for Gentiles to “come into the tent.” But God knew that to expand the tent and stretch out the curtains, they needed to drive their pegs deep. The broader the ministry — the deeper the foundation needs to be. Praise the Lord our fellowship was built on the foundation of the inerrancy of God’s Word and that foundation continues to this day.
I believe we are already seeing God enlarge the SBC of Virginia tent. We are seeing incredible growth in our Hispanic ministry (top right). A new church planting couple was sent to Iceland (bottom). The first Foster Care & Adoption Summit was held with dramatic results. Multiple churches got together to “Saturate Augusta” and plant the Gospel in around 50,000 homes in just one day (bottom right). More than 100,000 homes are being prayed for all over Virginia as part of Bless Every Home. And, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
As we get ready to usher in a brand new decade — 2020 — it’s exciting to think of all that God can do through each one of us if we just expand our horizon — and tent — to something new. Let’s not hold back. Let’s continue to drive our pegs deep in the Gospel and prepare for new opportunities, new ministry, and new blessings.
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