SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1184

“Tent of Meeting”

And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. – Exodus 25:8

Our Father God desires to have fellowship with us. His love for us is infinite and immeasurable. Under the old covenant, God established a Tent of Meeting where His presence was signified by the pillar of cloud and there He would meet with Moses.

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. – Exodus 33:7-9

Under the new covenant through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the ‘tent of meeting’ is now in us through the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. There is no longer an ‘outside of camp’ separation.

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. – John 14:23; 1 John 3:24

The temple curtain was torn in two when Jesus died on the cross for our sins opening the door for intimate fellowship with our Triune God.

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. – Matthew 27:50-51

Do you desire fellowship with God as much as He desires fellowship with you?

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. – James 4:8

Does habitual sin separate you from your tent of meeting with God? Sin will make our hearts grow cold and the guilt we feel works to make us feel distanced from God. Know this: God has not distanced Himself from you. Jesus paid the penalty for our sins once and for all and it is a lie from the enemy of your soul that tells you that you are too far gone to return to Him.

Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. – Joel 2:13

May you know that your tent of meeting with God is within you and that His Holy Spirit dwells in you to guide you and bring fellowship with the Father.

May your daily walk be a walk of continual fellowship, intimacy, and dialog with God in your ‘tent of meeting’ with Him.