WHAT'S IN YOUR TENT?

PSALMS 118:13-15 NKJV 
13 You pushed me violently, that I might fall, 
But the Lord helped me. 
14 The Lord is my strength and song, 
And He has become my salvation. 
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation 
Is in the tents of the righteous; 
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. 
 

OBSERAVTION:

This is one of my favorites. There are so many encouraging words and strong visuals are in Psalm 118. 

Verse 15 is a verse that has stood out to me over the years. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. 

Years ago, I went on a camping trip with Matt and some other men and their sons. We were out in a large field sleeping in tents. Or trying to sleep in tents. 

One thing about a tent is you can hear everything going on. Tents do not mask noise. One of the men in a tent close by was snoring so loud it was hard to sleep. And hard for me to believe anyone could make that much noise while sleeping. It was epic! 

Because you hear everything going on in a tent, if there is weeping, snoring, laughing, or rejoicing, you will hear it. 

So, what does the Lord hear as He walks by our "tent"? What is coming out of our lives? Rejoicing and salvation? Complaining and crying? Thanksgiving and praise? What is the major sound coming out of our life? 

The psalmist gives some very good reasons for rejoicing to be coming out of his tent.   

He was pushed violently so that he would fall, but the Lord helped him.  

He believed that the Lord was his strength and song and was his salvation.   

Just those things alone are plenty enough reasons to rejoice.   

APPLICATION: 

Obviously, I am using our tent as a metaphor for our life. What is our life speaking? 

My goal is to become more like the psalmist than to conform to the world around me. What is coming from so many tents is dark, negative, and full of fear.  

When the Lord walks past my tent, I want Him to hear a different sound. Rejoicing, salvation, praise, and gratitude. 

We are children of the living God. We are helped, not abandoned. We have access to God's Holy Spirit and His strength. We have good reasons to have good things coming from our tents.   

PRAYER: 

Lord You have helped me and strengthened me. You in my life is reason enough for me to rejoice and be glad. May my life reveal to others just how good You are!