Where He Leads I Will Follow

Exodus chapter 40 tells us that the people of Israel stayed with the cloud of God’s presence. When it rested on the tabernacle they stayed there. When the cloud moved they moved with it. Wherever the presence of God was, that is where the people were. 

The children of Israel were in a wilderness—a place they had never been before. They needed God’s wisdom and His direction to get to the place He wanted them to be. 

Not only was He leading them to a particular place, He was also leading them through a process—events they needed to go through to make them stronger. They had battles to fight once they got to the promised land. There was much for them to endure on their journey so they would be ready to fight those battles. 

The same is true for us today. It is important that we stay where the presence of God is. Instead of trying to figure things out on our own, we are to wait for Him and then follow His lead when He moves. 

Sometimes we become impatient. If we fear He is not actively leading us and we are not hearing Him speak, we get anxious. We have a mindset of “I have to do something—anything.” That is when we make our worst mistakes. We must submit our will to His and wait for Him to lead. If you are in a season of waiting, He has a good reason for it. 

There are situations in which we find ourselves that we just do not know what to do next. Our Father cares and wants to help us in those times. He wants us to learn to wait and trust Him. And remember, His end goal is that we become more like Christ and that we live a life that honors Him. 

I think pride and self-sufficiency can cause us to “do our own thing.” We believe we can make decisions without His help. But I have found that I need God’s guidance for decisions large and small. 

I am like a child who doesn’t see the danger ahead, and I need Him to guide each step I take. He sees what I don’t see. He knows what is ahead, and He teaches me through the process. 

There are times He leads me in a particular direction and I find myself questioning, “Why in the world does He want me to do this? Why has He put me here?” And then once I come to the end of the situation, the reason becomes clear.

Lord, help me to not question Your wisdom, but wait for Your direction and Your timing in every circumstance of my life. I want to be only where Your presence is!

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Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle… Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. (Exodus 40:34,36-37 NLT)