As I wrote out Numbers 9:18, I felt a move in my spirit and an ache. How many times in my life have I told God, "Okay, it's time to move." How many times have I dug my feet in and crossed my arms and said, "I ain't going to go. I'm not ready to move." Then, I wondered why my life was turned upside down.
In the day that Numbers was written, the Israelites were coming out of captivity from the Egyptians. They were leaning on God to show them the promised land. They were actually counting on God to guide them through the wilderness.
Today, we use the term 'wilderness' as a metaphor when going through a difficult time in life. May I suggest that if we were to move when God says to do so and stop when He says to, we might not go through as many 'wildernesses,' or the trials may not last as long?
If we spend more time listening to the Holy Spirit and less time telling Him what the plan is and how we want that to change our attitude toward the situation, the outcome may be different.
I know that when I was in charge of my comings and goings, let's just say it didn't end well most of the time. When I listen to the Holy Spirit, the outcome is much better!
We need to let God tell us when to move in our jobs, commitments, dating, friendships, and even with our family. In every area of our lives, we need to listen to the Word of the Lord and obey
I remember driving 45 minutes one way to a job. Money was tight, and we were meeting with one of the pastors in our church. He told me straight out that I needed to find a job closer to home. I shook my head and pushed my heels into the ground. I didn't want to look for another job. Later, as we left the church, I looked at my husband and said, "I don't like it. I don't want to leave my job, but I will pray about it." That was the beginning of spring. By the end of the summer, I was at a new job 5 minutes away from home.
When we let God lead, we are being obedient. It's not always easy to follow and obey what He is asking. The Israelites didn't know where they were going or how long it would take to get there. They chose to listen and obey God by moving when He said to and stopping when He said to. That's not to say they didn't speak their minds, but we see that didn't end well for them. It's hard to obey when you don't understand why God said to go or to stay. Throughout my years of being a child of God, I have learned that it doesn't always make sense, and things don't always work out the way I wanted them to. Yet there are three things I do know:
1) He's working all things out for my good.
2) When our desires line up with His, things change.
3) Being willing to listen to God and trust Him when He says to move or to stop isn't easy, but it's always worth it. hear God and trust Him to only move when He says to, and to stop when He says to isn't easy, but it's always worth it.
Lord Jesus, help me to hear and obey.
