Isaiah 54:1-4, 5 Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child....Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Do not be afraid...For your MAKER is your husband—the LORD ALMIGHTY is HIS name....HE is called the GOD of all the earth. [New International Translation]
Summary
In Isaiah 54, the prophet Isaiah prophesied about the future glory of the church. The church is compared to a "barren woman." The analogy is powerful. To understand the significance of this analogy it is helpful to remember that it is said that one of the daily prayers of every orthodox Jewish male during biblical times was to "Thank God, he was not born a gentile, a slave or a woman." If woman were considered the "bottom rung" of the Jewish social order, then "barren women" were in the "sub-basement." Even other women "looked down" on barren or childless women. [If you have time, read about Sarah (Abraham's wife-Gen 16:1-4); Rebekah (Isaac's wife Gen 25:21) Rachel (Jacob's wife Gen 30:1), Hannah (1Sam 1:1-6) or the Shunammite woman (2Kings 4:1-14).] Yet here the "barren woman" is told to stretch her tent wide. She has no children yet she is told to stretch the curtains and lengthen the cords as if she already had a tent full. She is like Abram. Even before Abraham had a single child, God gave Abram the name "Abraham," which meant "Father of a Multitude." Like Abraham, the barren woman must live "by faith." Despite the way "things look," or how others view her, she has to live as if things "that are not" are. (Romans 4:17) She must stretch and simply trust GOD that HE will do what HE says HE will do and fill the tent.
GOD's promise in Isaiah 54 came true. In the New Testament books of the Bible, the cords of the church's tent stretched out to Judea, Samaria and Galilee. Then the tent curtains stretched out to Antioch, Corinth, Philippi, Colossae and the other cities on Paul's missionary journeys. Today, there are churches all around the world.
The natural state of the church (or any member of the "church body") is not to be stationary, blocked, walled in or cornered. The church's strength depends on its ability to
S-T-R-E-T-C-H----to reach out----always trusting GOD to provide the increase.
Stretching and Physical Health
According to WebMD being physically fit means allowing your body to practice breathing, lifting and stretching. This means doing three things:
- Aerobic activity, like walking, riding a bike, or swimming. This helps your heart, lungs and muscle tone.
- Muscle strength and endurance, like resistance training. This helps build strong bones and muscles.
- Stretching, for flexibility and balance. Do all stretches gradually. Don't push or bounce the stretch. You should feel a stretch, not pain.
See, "Fitness: Getting and Staying Active-What does "Being Active" Really Mean?" www.WedMd.com. WebMD suggests stretching all of your muscle groups including your arms, your back, your hips, the front and back of your thighs and your calves. According to WebMD:
- Try to stretch for 10 to 12 minutes a day.
- Do some stretches first thing in the morning, take a stretch break in-stead of a coffee break, or stretch in the office (at home or your job) for a few minutes.
- Get involved in activities that include stretching, such as dance, martial arts, gardening, tai chi or yoga.
Emphasis added.
Exercise tends to shorten your muscles, therefore to counter this effect, it is important to stretch slowly and regularly to make yourself more flexible. Inactivity also tends to make one stiff. Start slowly. Don't bounce. Progress in stretching tends to be measured bit by bit. WebMD suggests you measure your progress by how much further you can go with each stretch. Slowly and regularly is the key.
Rheumatoid Arthritis and Diabetes
Stretching has been shown to reduce pain and help increase function in those with rheumatoid arthritis:
Stretching involves moving joint and muscle groups through and slightly beyond their normal range of motion and holding them in position for at least 15 to 30 seconds.
See, www.WebMd.com. Paste http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/stretches in your web browser to view stretches for various body parts. WebMD also has information about bed stretches, run-ning stretches, gym stretches, yoga stretches and basic stretches. Information about diabetes, ex-ercise and stretching can be found at: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/ideas-for-exercise/stretch.html.
As always, if you have a medical condition or concerns about your physical health, you should always consult your personal physician before embarking on an exercise program.
Stretch Your Faith
Both physical fitness and spiritual fitness require that we s-t-r-e-t-c-h. Both involve action on our part. The results are not immediate and sometimes it may even appear (and feel) that things are getting worse and not better. But, do not get discouraged. Remember, GOD is still THE LORD ALMIGHTY. HE still does thing "exceedingly," "abundantly," "beyond" and "above all" we ask or think. (Ephesians 3:20). Stretching may not look or feel like increase, but it is! So, look forward (not behind), keep moving (don't stop), press onward (don't give up) and have FAITH. Then reach up, reach out and S-T-R-E-T-C-H.
And, Be Blessed!
