Numbers 9:17
“Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents.”
God established a pretty clear method of directing Israel through the wilderness. They were traveling roads they had never been on, through obstacles they had never faced before, to a destination none of them had ever seen. In order to ensure they arrived safely, God chose to use a cloud to direct their journey. In a sense, they had the first ever GPS system. When it was time to go, the cloud started moving and when it was time to camp, the cloud stopped. I am sure all of us wish we had a cloud that moved when it was time to move so we could always know the way the Lord wants us to walk.
I think it is important that while the cloud is no longer God’s method of guiding His people, He has not left us without a direction. His Word is designed to help us navigate our way through life. The more difficult the way, the more important it is that we look into the Word for direction. For the most part, it is not that we do not know what God wants us to do, but rather we struggle to obey. The Bible gives us clear direction, but we are resistant because of lack of faith or fear of losing our personal comforts. It is time for us to move when the cloud moves and live in obedience to the teachings of Scripture, no matter what obstacles we might be facing.
Pastor Jim
Jim Gallagher 