In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out – until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
Exodus 40:36-38
“Stay as I stay; go as I go.“ These are the words Imagine God saying often.
Moses and the Israelites have finally completed their mobile tabernacle, the place where God would dwell on their travels. So, as they are tying on the last stone and placing the last pomegranate in its place, a cloud settles over the tent and God is in the cloud.
God explains to Moses that as long as he is on the tabernacle in the cloud they are to stay at that place, but if the cloud lifts and moves they are to go.
I don’t know about you, but for myself, I’ve change location a lot in my last 22 years. From the outside looking in, I know it could look like I’m quite flippant, which is hard for me because I am such a people pleaser. But I can also promise you, that every decision I’ve made has been because God has Either told me to stay or he’s told me it’s time to go. I don’t mind change, so it’s been OK with me, but if it were up to me, I personally would have made the change a year or more before it actually happened. Oh, how I wanted to, but God would tell me in one way or another, “Not yet, I haven’t told you where to go.”
When God begins nudging our hearts to change our location or situation it’s like a Hurry up and WAIT.
God wants us to be ready for the cloud to lift, but he doesn’t want us to move until he does. It can be really hard, too, because some of us are ready to make the move now and others of us are quite comfortable where we are. But in both situations, we have to wait on God until he wants to move or go with God until he wants to stay.
For those of you like me, who like change, it can be difficult for us to wait when we really feel like God is telling us to go. So, we sometimes try to jump the gun and we end up making the wrong moves and have to deal with the consequences of Waiting for God to now readjust our paths. Sometimes that means we have to humble ourselves and turn back, and sometimes that means God will make us stay in our new situation and learn right there a new lesson.
Maybe you’re on the other side of the coin, and you don’t want to move unless someone is dragging you away. It’s not that you always love your situation, but what if the new location is worse, what if there are giants there that you can’t conquer? So, sometimes you hold so tightly to your current situation that the world around you keeps going but you can’t understand why God’s not speaking to you anymore. And really, God is speaking to you, you just can’t hear him because he’s now 20 miles ahead of you, telling you to catch up.
When God moves, he wants us to move because he’s guiding us and protecting us on the path he has for us on the plan he’s laid before us. As we move with him we fully experience his presence which is filled with his peace, joy, and love. When God stays, we need to stay with him because again, he is protecting us but now he’s also teaching us something important in the current place we are, that we will need for the travels he is to lead us on in the future.
So…..what do we do? Hurry up and Wait!
Go as I Go, Stay as I Stay — God.
Running 2 Fly 