idol

Following. Watching. Being prepared.

I am now reading through the book of Numbers for my daily devotions. This morning I read, “Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time that the cloud continued over the tabernacle abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the change of the LORD at the command of the LORD by Moses.” (Numbers 9:22, 23)

You are probably familiar with this passage and knew that this was how the Israelites knew that it was time to pack up camp and move to their next destination.

Let me ask you to ponder with me what they needed to do?

1. Always be watching. They had to always be watching for the cloud to see if it started to move. When the cloud began to move, there must have been an uproar in the camp as everyone began to spread the word, “The cloud is moving. The Lord is moving.”
2. Always be prepared. There was no need to hang the pictures on the tent walls. No need to unpack the boxes. They might move in 2 days or a month. Hanging the pictures on the walls is always the last thing we have done when we have moved. It always has that feeling of being settled. There is some excitement in moving, but it is also nice to be settled. The Israelites were nomads for 40 years. The excitement had to have worn off and the unsettled feeling lingered for a long time. Imagine when they finally arrived in Israel. Hanging that first picture must have seemed unreal.
3. They were always following God’s presence in the cloud. Whether a cloud of fire by night or a cloud by day. Imagine the thrill of knowing that God’s presence was watching over you as you slept and was leading you as you went. God was in a visible form for the Israelites to follow.

As I was reading this passage I thought about how applicable to our life it is. These 3 things the Israelites had to do are also the 3 things we need to do.

1. Always be watching. God is always at work. “He never sleeps or slumbers.” (Psa. 121:3, 4). Too often we think that God isn’t doing anything. We don’t see Him working or moving or doing great miracles in front of us like sending manna or quail or moving as a cloud of fire in the night. God moves in different ways, and uses different means today. He also wants to use us to perform amazing things if we are willing to do it for His honor and glory, but we need to always be watching. One of my favorite books is called The Noticer by Andy Andrews. The character does not rush through life but notices things about people and then lets them know what he notices. These things help to change their lives. God wants us to be noticers. He wants us to be watching. He is always working, but are we watching how we can be working alongside of Him or are we not paying attention and working against Him. There are so many people in the world that need a Savior. There are so many people in the world that need a word of encouragement. I for one get so wrapped up on my own agenda and my own “duties” that I forget to be a noticer. I forget to watch and see where God is working so I can work alongside of Him, so I can be His hands and feet. (Mt. 28:19, 20).

Are you watching?

2. Always be prepared. This doesn’t mean to always have your suitcase packed and all your earthly belongings in a box and ready to go. In order to be prepared we must be daily spending time with God. Spending time reading our Bibles. Spending time in prayer. Not just in the morning after we get done with our Bible reading. Not just before we eat our meals. No, all the time. We are talking about prayer in our Sunday school class. The teacher challenged us to pray through Psalm 23. I have been doing this throughout my day. It then occurred to me to pray Psalm 23 for those on my prayer list throughout my day. How is this preparing me? It is keeping my focus on God. When my focus is on God, it is not on me. When my focus is not on myself, I can better help others. See how all this ties together. Being prepared is daily meeting with the Creator of the Universe and the Savior of the World and with eager anticipation being ready for whatever comes up in my day to notice about others. Another thing that I have added to my walk with the Lord is Scripture memory. This is another way that I can be preparing.

Are you daily preparing?

3. This is the most important part of the whole equation. Who or what are you following? The Israelites had a cloud that they followed. It was a visible representation of the Lord. They could see it. Do we struggle with following the Lord because we cannot see Him? So we find it easier to follow something we can see, or we follow what our hearts want and desire. This most often is what we end up following: our own selfish desires, or as I have talked about in previous blogs, the idols of our heart. The problem with following the idols of our hearts is that they never satisfy. We are always looking for more. As Jeremiah says the idols of our hearts are “broken cisterns that hold no water.” (Jer. 2:13). So before you think about watching and being prepared, you must first consider who you are following. If we make the decision to follow the Lord, we will be following and be satisfied by “the fountain of Living Water.” (Jer. 2:13)

Who or what are you following?