So often we either run ahead of God or lag behind Him. But, where we want to be is under His cloud. If He wants us to wait, then that is what we should do. If He wants us to move then we should. For us to experience the peace that God wants for us, it doesn't need to be on a Caribbean beach, but it does need to be under His cloud continually.

We read in Numbers 9:15-18, "Now on the day that the tabernacle was raised up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the Tent of the Testimony; from evening until morning it was above the tabernacle like the appearance of fire. So it was always: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, after that the children of Israel would journey; and in the place where the cloud settled, there the children of Israel would pitch their tents. At the command of the Lord the children of Israel would journey, and at the command of the Lord they would camp;...". We read a little further in 10:11-13 when this came into practice, "Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony. And the children of Israel set out from the wilderness of Sinai on their journeys; then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran. So they started out for the first time...". They spent approximately one year camped under His cloud at Sinai before moving. This cloud at the center besides protecting them from the heat of day and the cold of night were constant reminders of God's presence, guidance and protection as God dwelled in the midst of His people.

We must all ask ourselves where we place God in our lives. For most they completely fly solo, either not believing in Him or not giving Him any of their time or thought. For the majority of those who do profess belief in Him, rather than allowing Him to dictate our lives, we try to maintain control of our own lives and insert Him where we want and when we want. But this has never been God's plan. We are not the cloud to be followed, He is. For any who would like to say this is no longer possible since we don't have a cloud to follow, we have been given something amazing in exchange for this: His completed Word called the Bible, and the person of God, the Holy Spirit literally within us. The problem for the Israelites is they grumbled and complained and failed to allow God to center their lives. The problem for us is that we also grumble and exchange the perfect direction of God for our own imperfect plans and direction. One prayer that I often repeat is that I would always be where God wants me to be, not running ahead in my own strength, not lagging behind because of my lack of focus. God has so much available to each of us, the question is: "Is He at the center of our lives?" Blessings and Peace as you ponder this question with the Lord.