Present Tents

The tent of meeting, which we read about in Exodus 33, was a tent that Moses set up outside the camp of the Israelites. He would go into the tent and meet with God about the decisions he needed to make and directions he needed to take in leading Israel toward the will of God. It was a place where Moses could be in the manifested presence of God. As a matter of fact, some translations called it the Tent of the Lord’s Presence.

When we think of talking to or hearing from God, we often think it may happen at some point in the future or that we missed opportunity sometime in the past. However, the Bible refers to our bodies as temporary tents and says they are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to worry that we’ve missed our chance or wait until the future; we can enter into God’s presence any place and time — right here in the present tense.