“Do what God tells you to do now, and, depend upon it, you will be shown what to do next.” – Elizabeth Elliot

When we invite someone for dinner, we do a lot of work to get ready: plan the menu, buy the groceries, cook the food, set the table. Why? We have guests coming and we want everything to be welcoming when they get there.

When God called the people of Israel to come back to Jerusalem after their time in exile, he told them to prepare for a crowd:

“Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2)

God was telling his people he would settle them back in the land, and they were to make their “tent” bigger to prepare for many more people to come to join them. Company is coming!

There are times when God is telling us to make our tents bigger – to prepare for the next thing he will call us to do. Sometimes, it’s clear what he’s planning and sometimes it’s not. But we should always have an attitude that says we are are willing to enlarge our tent to be ready to serve when he calls.

Often, when we look back on our lives, we see why he told us to move to a certain neighborhood or why he put us in a place where we could learn a new skill, or why he challenged us to teach that class. Even now, he may be preparing us for something greater, something new. If so, get ready for growth, for change, for something only God can do!

“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.” – Isaiah 40:3b