Grains of Sand

Sometime I move before the Lord tells me to do so. Sometimes I drag my feet when He is moving me. The lesson from Numbers 9 is an excellent reminder to listen and watch, to move willingly when He does and to stand still when He does. The nation of Israel learned to watch the cloud that represented the presence of the Lord among them. " Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out.; but when it lifted they would set out. At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. The obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses " (Numbers 9:22, 23, NIV). There are times when I wish I had a cloud to follow. But that's where the listening comes in. We are blessed with God's instruction manual, complete with maps that show us the direction the Lord wants us to go. We are blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit of God who whisp...

Almost two years ago to the day, I began a new phase in my life’s journey. It was a major move and a pretty big career adjustment. Even though I was sure that this was the route the Lord had carved out for me, there were moments when I had a few qualms. I wonder if Jacob felt the same way. Joseph has sent for his father to join him in Egypt. If Jacob, or Israel, was still in possession of all his mental faculties he probably remembered what had happened to his father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham, when they had gone to Egypt. My guess is that when he got to Beersheba and built his altar there he expressed his concerns to God. And God responded. “‘ I am God, the God of your father,’ he said. ‘Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes’ ” (Genesis 46:3, 4, NIV). Israel had no idea that his descendants would end up as...

Reading: Acts 8, 9 I was reading a friend’s post earlier this morning ( http://www.jewelsofencouragement.com/2011/11/you-cant-get-there-from-here.html ) and it resonated with me. Jan used the analogy of a GPS (Global Positioning System) to describe how God gives us direction in our lives (God’s Positioning System). GPS has its uses but, confess it, sometimes you’d just like to chuck it out the window under the wheels of the semi-trailer two feet behind your back bumper! That pleasant, but annoying voice telling you to do what you can see with your own eyes is not what needs to be done, does get on the nerves. How do you explain to a GPS that you are NOT going to take the most common route because you know a less-traveled and more pleasant route along the side roads? As I was reading the passage from Scripture assigned to me for today, I was reminded about what Jan had written and how it might have applied to the main character in the passage. Saul, as he then was called, was ...