Where is Your Tent Pitched?

We did a lot of camping growing up. As a result, I missed out on a lot of sleep. No matter where we seemed to pitch our tent, I’d inevitably end up in a spot that had some rocks or a large root underneath. This streak of ill-fortune followed me into my ROTC days as well (sleeping with an assault rifle didn’t help much either).

There were two different types of campgrounds we frequented. Family campgrounds like KOA which had great facilities, or rustic campgrounds which had a hole over a pit. The problem with KOA camping was that it was like being in a crowded suburb. You’d have a tiny lot, and were surrounded by neighbors who ranked each other on what type of gear you’d have. The rustic sites, however, were huge and filled with trees. You might never see your neighbors (which might not be a good thing if you would happen to fall into the ravine that’s ten feet behind your campfire). The problem (or blessing depending on what direction the wind was blowing) was that you’d have to hike down a long gravel road to get to the facilities.

I always was happiest when we were able to land a rustic spot that was close to the facilities. The best of both worlds.

We often segment our lives; work/play, friends/family, quiet time with God/rest of my day.

Should we be this segmented?

What if instead of lining up our day as little boxes to fill up then move on, we kept the boxes together?

What if we pitched our tents between life with God and life with the world around us?

Genesis 12:1-8
“The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the LORD, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the LORD, and he worshiped the LORD.”

The following excerpt is from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest…

“Worship is giving God the best that He has given you. Be careful what you do with the best you have. Whenever you get a blessing from God, give it back to Him as a love — gift. Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard it for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded (see Exodus 16:20). God will never allow you to keep a spiritual blessing completely for yourself. It must be given back to Him so that He can make it a blessing to others.

Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God; Ai is the symbol of the world. Abram “pitched his tent” between the two. The lasting value of our public service for God is measured by the depth of the intimacy of our private times of fellowship and oneness with Him. Rushing in and out of worship is wrong every time — there is always plenty of time to worship God. Days set apart for quiet can be a trap, detracting from the need to have daily quiet time with God. That is why we must “pitch our tents” where we will always have quiet times with Him, however noisy our times with the world may be. There are not three levels of spiritual life — worship, waiting, and work. Yet some of us seem to jump like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work. God's idea is that the three should go together as one. They were always together in the life of our Lord and in perfect harmony. It is a discipline that must be developed; it will not happen overnight.”

May we live our lives in such a way that we can worship God as we work and as we wait.

Joe

Genesis 28:10-12, 16-17
Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.

… Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”

Psalm 66:1-9
Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Your enemies cringe before your mighty power. Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs.”

Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him. For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance.

Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling.