Enlarge My Heart

"Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare, lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes, for you shall expand to the right and to the left." Is. 54:2  I love this verse. If you were to look in my bible you would see many dates beside it of times when I felt that this was the Lord's promise to me.  I have always seen it as a promise that He would expand the PARC and the impact it would have in our community. But this weekend I felt like I might have gotten a different meaning. As I thought about this verse I thought about how when it was written that God's presence dwelt in an actual tent. Now, because of Christ's sacrifice, His very spirit dwells in me. I believe that the Lord was showing me that He wants to expand the place of my tent, the place where HE dwells in my heart. He actually wants to expand my heart!

Oh my word!! I love this! If the Lord will enlarge the place of my tent, the place where He dwells, that means that I can love better.  He will expand my capacity to love. I will be able to love bigger and love deeper. I will also be able to forgive more, be kinder, and have more grace. The list can go on and on, but isn't that a wonderful concept? God can expand our hearts so that we can experience more of Him, and as a result share more of Him.

This morning I read in Ephesians 2:22 "This means that God is transforming each one of you into the Holy of Holies, His dwelling place, through the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!" (TPT) I need my heart to be enlarged. There are many times when I cry out for God to help me see people through His eyes so that I can love them better. I want to see what HE sees. I want to love as He loves and accepts people without judgment. (I have a hard time with that sometimes.) I believe that this is His promise today. He is expanding our hearts, the place where He dwells. I am beside myself with the expectation of what this will look like; of the impact, we could have if we "do not spare, lengthen our cords and stretch out our stakes." I hope this is a prayer we all shout out today. "Expand the place of my tent!"