Ladies, let’s be honest—tents are not my thing. Give me glamping any day! You know, the kind where you’ve got twinkly lights, a cozy cabin, a soft bed, and maybe even some Wi-Fi (because we’ve got to stay connected, right?). So, when I think about Abraham, living in literal tents while holding onto a massive promise from God, I can’t help but feel for him. Like, “God, I know You’re faithful, but can we at least upgrade to a cabin with heat?”
And yet, Abraham’s story speaks directly to something many of us experience—what I call the “deception of the promise.” Not because God’s promises are deceptive (they never are), but because we sometimes let our imagination run wild, expecting mansions, luxury, and instant success, while the reality looks more like a tiny apartment and a car that’s well past its prime. You know the feeling—God promises big things, and we say, “Yes, Lord! I receive it!” But then we find ourselves living in what feels like less, and we wonder what went wrong.
Let’s look at Abraham again. God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. That’s a pretty incredible promise! But instead of lounging in a palace, Abraham spent years moving from place to place, living in tents. It doesn’t seem to line up with the grand vision, does it? But the truth is, even in those tents, Abraham was living in the promise.
This is where we can often get tripped up. When God promises something, we expect immediate results. We picture luxury, ease, and everything falling into place. But instead, we often find ourselves still in humble circumstances, still struggling, still in what feels like the in-between. And that’s when the doubts can creep in—“Is this really God’s promise?”
But here’s the truth: just because you’re not living in the mansion doesn’t mean you’re not walking in the promise. Abraham’s tent life wasn’t a step away from God’s plan; it was a part of it. God doesn’t always deliver His promises the way we expect, but that doesn’t mean He’s not working. The apartment, the old car, the paycheck-to-paycheck struggle—they don’t cancel out the promise. They’re part of the process.
It’s easy to get discouraged when your life doesn’t match the dream you had in your head. But faith isn’t about seeing the final product right away; it’s about trusting God in the journey. Abraham didn’t see the fulfillment of his promise for years, but he trusted God in the tents because he believed in the One who made the promise.
So, if you find yourself in a “tent season,” don’t be discouraged. The promise is still real, and God is still at work. Sometimes the process looks a lot less glamorous than we imagined, but that doesn’t mean the outcome won’t be even better than what we envisioned. Trust that God’s timing is perfect, even when it doesn’t feel like it. The tent you’re in now doesn’t define your future; it’s just a part of the journey.
And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll look back on this tent season and realize it was where God was building something far greater than you ever imagined. Until then, keep the faith, keep walking in the promise, and know that God’s plan is unfolding—even in the tent.
-Chassitie L.
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