To Move or Not to Move???

We all know that the Israelites wandered in their faithfulness to God. Their 11 day journey ~ stretched to 40 years, humbles us and reminds us of ourselves. But, the times they were faithful are such beautiful reminders too! I read again tonight about one of my favorite examples of their faithfulness. It is found in the book of Numbers chapter 9, and it is in reference to the pillar of cloud they followed by day, and the pillar of fire it became by night. This was God's most precious gift to His people, His presence guiding them by day and keeping them from being afraid by night. It provided light to the Israelites, but darkness to their enemies (Exodus 14:19-20). Numbers 9:17-23 is a wonderful passage, I won't qoute it entirely so go read it right away! "Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people would break camp and follow it. And whenever the cloud settled, the people would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord's command wherever He told them to go. Then they remained in the camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the LORD... whether the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle for two days, or a month or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on... SO they camped or traveled at the LORD's command, and did whatever He told them through Moses." Don't you love how these people just stayed and waited on the LORD. They were not given an itenerary, or a schedule. They had no idea when they would move again. They just trusted Him, and moved when He moved and stayed when He stayed. Oh, the simplicity of this picture. We do not serve a God who makes things difficult to figure out, obscure or questionable. We can trust Him when He is on the move, and we can trust us when He has us waiting. No need for worry and anxiety - He knows the plan, and He will move us along when it is time. Right now, my sister is a wonderful example of this kind of trust. Her house may or may not have been sold, it is almost completely packed up despite the 5 year old, 2 year old and infant that she is trying to provide a "home" for. There has not been an accurate appraisal, the buyer is now saying he won't pay the price he offered in the contract, and he knows my sister and her husband won't take less, yet he has not canceled the closing date set for THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW! My sister and her family have no where to move to, and won't sign an apartment lease until they find out whether their house is sold or not... They are just waiting on the LORD, staying if He says "stay", moving if He says "move". Trusting in the most insecure and uncertain of times. And she has Peace like I have not seen in her before, because she has Jesus, and she can trust Him even when she can't trust her circumstances (in this instance, "the buyer"). Our "cloud" looks different than the Israelites. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit Himself, it is the guidance of the Word of God, and it is our sweet Savior Jesus who is sitting at the right hand of God "pleading for us." Romans 8:34. We have so much more guidance than a cloud by day and a pillar by night. We have the Lord Almighty within us and constantly praying for us, closing all those wrong doors so that we do not walk through them (just as He did for Paul in Acts 16, preventing him from going certain places). Let's not grow discouraged when the days of waiting become months, and the months become years. I am in that place too! Let's instead trust the leading of our Father, and just "continue performing our duty to the Lord." (v.19) Whether we move forward or wait.