Stop Building Tents

"Peter said to Jesus, 'Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.”
Mark 9:5–6 

Peter's first instinct in the middle of a mountaintop moment was to make it permanent. We do the same thing. 

Peter was not wrong to love the moment. He was wrong to think the moment was the destination.  

Building three tents would have meant treating Jesus, Moses, and Elijah as equals and assumed the end times had arrived right then.  

But the cross had not happened yet. The resurrection had not happened yet. The gospel was still unfinished.  

The mountaintop was a glimpse, not the goal.  

We fall into the same trap when we chase spiritual highs and mistake the feeling of God's presence for spiritual maturity.  

The feeling is a gift. But it is not the finish line. 

Peter talked when he was nervous. Most of us do something similar when we are overwhelmed: we fill the silence with activity, plans, or projects instead of just being still and listening.  

Sometimes the most faithful response is to say nothing and take it in. 

Identify one "tent" you have been building: a spiritual experience, a comfort zone, a routine that feels safe.  

Ask God whether He is calling you off the mountain and into something harder and more fruitful. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for mountaintop moments. Forgive me for trying to live there permanently. Help me to receive Your gifts with gratitude and then step forward in obedience. In Jesus' name, Amen.