The Creator’s In Our Camp
David Francis
Reflecting on our temporary dwelling
Our recent seaside holiday got me thinking about how our lives and bodies are temporary homes. Our small caravan stood fifty yards from the shore beside the tent of our daughter, husband, and granddaughter. Both provided warmth and shelter, yet we knew the tent would soon be folded and the caravan towed home, beautifully illustrating the Christian journey.
Sitting by the campfire in the evenings, my thoughts drifted to the ancient wilderness.
Tents and caravans connect us to the Israelites’ wanderings, where dwellings were packed up at a moment's notice under God’s guidance. In Leviticus 23 we read of the Feast of Tabernacles (for remembrance of their 40 years in the wilderness and thanksgiving for the harvest). As part of this, the Israelites built leafy shelters with roof gaps to look at the heavens - a vivid reminder that the Creator cared for them, dwelt among them, and that the wilderness was not their permanent home. Millennia later, we looked at those same stars from around our firepit, feeling that same wonder and connection.
As the embers began to fade, I couldn't help but reflect on how fragile these shelters are.
Nylon tents and lightweight caravans only last so long. Similarly, our bodies and circumstances are temporary, strength declines, and our earthly journey ends. Paul, a tentmaker by trade, described the human body as an ‘earthly tent’, pointing believers toward an eternal home (2 Corinthians 5:1).
Scripture calls us ‘strangers and pilgrims’ (1 Peter 2:11) - we are all caravanistas passing through. Yet, as flames died down, I found supreme comfort in the promise of eternal life and a resurrected body like Christ's.
The greatest comfort is knowing that we do not travel alone.
John writes that ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:14) - ‘dwelt among us’ also translates as tabernacled, or pitched a tent. God entered our campsite!
In the Old Testament, the Tabernacle represented God’s presence travelling with Israel. It looked plain outside, covered in ordinary skins, but inside was breathtaking gold and artistry. Likewise, Jesus had no striking appearance to turn heads (Isaiah 53:2), yet His inner life revealed the ultimate glory of grace and truth. The Creator entered His creation to live as one of us and, through the Spirit, He accompanies us on our journeys.
So now, I look ahead with peaceful, joyful anticipation.
We can fully enjoy this present journey, even as our earthly bodies creak and groan. We know this is not the final state of play. Our Christian faith confidently looks forward to a new body and a renewed creation where God will dwell permanently with His people, on earth as it is in heaven (Revelation 21:1–4).
Like children in the back seat eagerly waiting to see the sea, we might ask, "Are we nearly there yet?"
We’re often frustratingly told: “Not yet!” But, because Jesus entered our temporary dwelling to secure our eternal future, life with Him - though sometimes rocky and hard to navigate - always holds out a brighter day, just like those sunny beach memories. There’s an even better holy day to come.
