God Leads, We Follow

"Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the Tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out."
~ Numbers 9:22

God leads, we follow. That's the way God designed it. He led the people of Israel in "a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on their way, and in a pillar of fire by night ..." (Exodus 13:21) He leads us, according to the Scriptures, by His Holy Spirit, the One who abides in us. The idea is the same: He leads, we follow.

But what happens when there is no leading?
As God led Israel through the wilderness, there were times when His Presence lingered in a place and the people stayed put. Sometimes it was only for a day or two. I'm sure that was kind of nice. Like a mini vacation.
Other times it was a month. That might have gotten a bit tedious. Who wants to look at the same old sand dunes for thirty days?
Still other times, God's Presence stayed in one place for a year. And for that year, Israel didn't move. They stayed where the Presence of God was. And in that year, they got no closer to the Promised Land.

How frustrating that must have been for God's people. Day after day, week after week, from one month to the next - going nowhere. They knew God had made them a promise. He was leading them to a place He'd already given to them. A blessed place. But here they were wasting time in the desert.

That's the way we tend to see things when there is no movement, isn't it? We want to get where we're going. But God wants us to enjoy His Presence along the way.
And as long as His Presence is with us wherever we are, why would we want to go anywhere else?