Ossie McKinney
Director of Research and Administration and Consultant,
CBF Outreach and Growth
“Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left...” – Isaiah 54:2-3a
When I first stepped into ministry leadership, I felt like the space I occupied—emotionally, spiritually, even physically—was just enough for what I thought I could handle. I was content with boundaries that felt familiar and manageable. But life has a way of unfolding differently than we plan. In one season, I was asked to serve in a way that stretched me beyond what I thought I could bear. I resisted. I feared failure. I feared exposure. I feared being found out as not enough. And then I came across Isaiah 54.
This passage met me like a gentle but firm push from the Spirit: “Do not hold back... stretch... lengthen... strengthen.” It felt less like a command and more like an invitation to step into a promise. A covenant of peace. A heritage of assurance. A blessing not only for me, but for all of us who serve God while sometimes wondering if we’re doing it well enough. Isaiah 54 doesn’t ignore hardship. It names desolation, shame, rejection and fear. But it reframes them. We are told to sing anyway. We are invited to expand even when we feel barren. We are blessed with the promise that God will teach our children, protect our lives and establish us in righteousness.
This is a covenant not of striving but of belonging. And it is my prayer of blessing for you.
Stretch Without Fear
A blessing inspired by Isaiah 54:2-3
May you stretch without fear.
May you lengthen what has felt too short,
and open what has felt too tight.
May you let God enlarge your space of influence,
or healing,
or rest,
whatever it is you need.
May you not hold back.
Not because you are unafraid,
but because God goes before you.
You are covered by a covenant of peace.
You will not be put to shame.
This is your heritage as a servant of the Lord.
Amen.