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
The prophet Isaiah’s prophesy about the future glory of the church 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, the cords of the Christian church stretch worldwide. There are Christian 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. We are to stretch. The church’s strength depends on its ability to S-T-R-E-T-C-H----to reach out----always trusting GOD, always in FAITH, always trusting that HE will “fill the tent” and that HE will provide.
STRETCHING – AFTER A WARM-UP
Regular stretching after a warm-up has a number of benefits:
- Regular stretching increases flexibility, which makes daily tasks easier;
- Regular stretching increases range of motion of your joints, which helps your mobility;
- Regular stretching improves circulation;
- Regular stretching promotes improved posture;
- Regular stretching relieves stress and relaxes muscles; and
- Regular stretching helps to prevent injuries, especially if your joints are tight.
See, “Flexibility: Stretch Your Way To Better Health,” www.mayoclinic.org.
Try to target major muscle groups or specific parts of the body: calves, hips, lower back, upper back, shoulders, oblique’s (side of body); trapezius (large muscle in the upper and lower back, triceps (back of upper arm); biceps (front of upper arm), etc.). You can work on a specific muscle group every day or work on several muscle groups a day. Or, you can target upper body flexibility exercises one day and then lower body flexibility exercises the next day. Just remember to try to achieve a total body stretch workout.
UPPER BODY STRETCHES
Here are just a few exercises for mainly upper body flexibility:
When doing stretches or flexibility exercises:
- DON’T bounce;
- DON’T hold your breath; try to relax and breathe feely;
- DON’T hold the stretch until you feel pain; remember while you may feel some tension, the goal is not to cause pain or injury.
Also, DON’T be too overly concerned about “other people’s flexibility.” Everyone is different—and so are their flexibility needs and abilities. You may also find that you are more flexible on some days than on others. Just try to breathe deeply and enjoy your workout.
Many gyms have experienced trainers who can assist you in correctly performing stretching and flexibility exercises and who can assist you with establishing program designed for your body’s needs. As always, consult your physician if you have concerns about your medical condition or about the safety of performing any exercise routine.
If Not Now, When?
The woman in Isaiah 54 had a tent. We each have a body. We are stewards of these bodies. Most of just would not dream of letting a car sit idle for a week without at least “cranking it up.” Most of us perform “routine maintenance” on our cars “on a regular basis.” It would be a shame to treat our cars and our appliances better than we treat our own bodies.
How important is your body to you? If you have been saying “I’ll get to it….,” ask yourself “If not now, when?” We all need to stretch. We all need to work on joint flexibility and mobility. We are all stewards---accountable to our MAKER.
Let’s continue to pray and work at being ALL that GOD would have us BE, so that we can DO all that HE would have us DO.
Keep s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g and BE BLESSED!
