Rebuilding the Tent

02.08.13

Acts 15.16-18 16 “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, 17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things 18 known from of old.’ (ESV)

All the earth is headed to an end. All the earth has wondered and weaved away from God’s plan and purpose. All the earth has come up short, fallen short, and missed the mark of God’s original intention. And with all this, the tent of David has fallen. Tents work a whole lot better when they remain standing. I’ve been on camping trips where the tent has decided to fall down in the middle of the night. Not fun. Annoying actually.

Such is the mark sin has left upon mankind: our tents have fallen – and we’re so used to it, we accept it as normal. We crawl in and out of our everyday lives and don’t think a thing about it. But God does.

God knows what it takes to be a real man and to fulfill a real purpose. And God’s further intention is to enable man, through His divine power and presence, to achieve his divine design: friendship and companionship with the living God…forever. When I think about this I realize that eternity will be filled with purpose and meaning and we will spend it by accomplishing all God has for us to do, to be, and to know.

This world and all it has to offer with its beauty and fierceness isn’t even scratching the surface of all of what God intends for us. And in the midst of it we will be restored to our divine origin, not as gods, but as God’s chosen followers who will take His culture to the farthest galaxies and beyond – to perhaps, universes unknown. The fallen tent will be restored and rebuilt and the lives of men will return to their original purpose: to know and love and be with the Living God.

Spare me a moment or two to wonder. Allow me to think about a time and a place where everything will meet its grand and glorious purpose, and never run out of energy to maintain. Allow me to bask in the brilliance of God’s words: “‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ Let me know the peace that comes with His words and the hope of all things restored and made new.

Let me hope. Let me wonder. Let me worship God who does all things well, and closes the door on no one who believes.