"Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle... Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up."
Sometimes I wish it was that "easy" to see God moving... literally. All you did was watch the cloud. When it moved you moved. When it stayed you stayed. The cloud and fire reminded the Israelites of God's continuous presence. It was His leadership. It was His protection. It was His provision.
But you know what, I bet it grew old. There were probably days when the cloud moved, but they were not in the mood to follow. When the cloud moved it meant a lot of things had to happen and personal events would have to take a back seat. And there were other times it remained when they probably were itching to leave. Yet they were forced to remain, watching and waiting.
Sometimes the overt presence is more than we really want. Ever wished you had someone in your life, only to experience it for a while and realize you'd rather be on your own. I once wanted my Calculus teacher to be my mentor teacher during student teaching. I got my wish. At first it was cool, she was tough with high expectations, but I was excited. Then days came that I was tired, or I hadn't prepared as I should. Yet regardless, I had to face her and teach the class as she watched on. It got tiring trying to always please her.
Do you think the Israelites ever thought this? God's presence always with them... demanding of them their obedience.
And what about today? What about you? Have there been days when you just want to throw in the towel and quit for a while. You have become too tired to play the Christian act or meet the Christian standards placed on you by God and others. Does the presence of God ever become too overwhelming? I'm not there right now, but I sure have been in the past.
Yet becoming a believer of Jesus Christ means that we have become followers of Jesus Christ. We have been bought and He now owns us. His commands are our orders and His will our own. If His presence in your life has become stifling, stop and remember one word... grace. His presence should not be weighty, but our delight.
Sometimes we push ourselves from God because we forget that we, as believers, have already achieved "liked" status before Him. We don't have to impress Him anymore. But other times, we push ourselves from God showing that there is still part of our flesh that we are not willing to let go. The first stems from a sense of inadequacy, the second from a self-centered mindset.
If you are wrestling with God today maybe one of these two are at the root of the difficulty. God's presence in our lives is a blessing, but misconstrued it can be torture as God works on us perfecting us in Christ.
If you aren't struggling today you may just need to remember though we don't have that physical presence in our cities or neighborhood like the Israelites, instead we have something... better. We have His spiritual presence in our hearts. It may be a little harder to follow when there is no clear evidence of God's guidance, but the fact remains that He still offers His leadership and it is up to us to wait and listen for His movement within us... and in the right perspective, respond in joy submitting to a Great God who perfectly and lovingly leads His own.
Praise Him for His presence, even when we struggle with it.
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