“Lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2)

In context, this verse personifies Israel as a barren woman to whom God promises many children. She is instructed to break forth into song in anticipation of the promise’s fulfillment and enlarge her tent dwelling--“lengthening the cords and strengthening the stakes”--to make room for the coming increase.

As I pondered this passage, three thoughts came to mind which I hope encourage you to trust God for “great and mighty things.” (Jeremiah 33:3)

1. Stop thinking too small.

It’s easy to get used to the status quo. I wonder if our goals are too small, our faith too weak, and our vision so blurred that we can’t see the future God wants for us. I wonder if we’ve made church so easy that all the average member has to do is show up. God’s challenge to Israel in this verse is: “do not hold back.” He’s basically saying make your tent as big as you can, and I’ll fill it up.

It's not a stretch to apply this same principle to the church. We should endeavor to expand outreach, increase commitments, and deepen relationships within the body of Christ. And at the same time, we continue to lay a strong foundation on the Word of God through discipleship and sound doctrine.

2. Embrace the promise.

The key to the Christian life is faith. Four times in scripture we find the sentence, “the just shall live by faith” (see Hab 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38). The writer of Hebrews tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Heb 11:6) It’s clear in Isaiah 54:2 that the Lord will not fill the tent until the “curtains of your habitation are stretched.” Embracing the promise means acting in faith instead of waiting for something to happen. I truly believe that God wants to bless His church and is waiting for His people to stop “holding back” and to start working to expand their horizons.

Embracing the promise means acting in faith instead of waiting for something to happen.

3. Pray, pray, pray!

What is it exactly that you would like God to do for you? For your church? For your family? For your marriage? We have not because we ask not. We ask and receive not because we ask selfishly. Praying in faith is prayer that seeks the advancement of God’s kingdom for His glory! And when the desires of our hearts are aligned with His will we can pray with great confidence.

I think prayer and fasting is what fuels the health and development of the church. So when it comes to God showing us those “great and mighty things,” let us pray like it all depends on Him and work as if it all depends on us.

Figure out what great thing you would like to see God do in your life, your family, your church, or your business. Then begin doing all you can to make it a reality, praying fervently that the Lord will bring it to pass.