Alrighty, now it's time for some really amateur theological musings.
I have read some passages of Scripture recently that have wowed me in a new way, and they really got me thinking about how they can be applied in my life.
Numero uno - Numbers 9:15-23
Now this passage got me thinking about "setting out" and what that might entail for me. I'm a 22 year old graduate student. I'm smack dab in the middle of transition. I graduated high school, moved to college, finished college, moved home, and moved again to another college. I am halfway through a program that requires movement from one clinical placement to another, and I could be placed as far as an hour away for work any given semester. Movement, movement, movement. Now I am one year away from another transition: graduation and job hunting. But where will I go?
Now I know I have a year until then, and many things can change in a year. But that doesn't change the facts: to obey the Lord's commands about when and where to set out is very important. And it ain't always so clear to us now as it was to the Israelites back then.
"22 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. 23 At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out. They obeyed the Lord's order, in accordance with his command through Moses." (Numbers 9:22-23)
Faith, obedience, and patience were all required to achieve this. Now there are times throughout their wanderings in the desert when the Israelites were not exactly known for these qualities (coughcough the golden calf cough). But still, just imagine! Imagine looking up and seeing the cloud that you know that God sent to guide you start to move. And collectively, everyone in camp obeys.
So then comes in the modern day application questions: Where is our cloud? How can modern Christians know when the Lord is telling us to pack up camp and go, and where do we go?
But God still leads. I know this, because even without a visible cloud hovering over my apartment building for the next year until I graduate and then moving on to hover over the next place I am to go, God's guidance is still evident! I have the Holy Spirit within me, my Bible before me, and prayer coming from me and from those who care for me. Guidance, guidance, guidance.
Numero dos - Luke 11:11-13
Now this is just a short snippet from a longer and absolutely beautiful passage on prayer. But I was specifically reminded of these verses after singing the words, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God," from the hymn.
So take those words, and think about them. I am a part of the family of God. I have "known" this for years but for some reason never really explored my role in that. So what is my role? I am a daughter of the Heavenly Father. Just one of many (thankfully I have many beautiful sisters), but just as important in His eyes as all of His other daughters. And as a daughter, I have duties to fulfill. Among these many duties, I am expected and should desire to be obedient to my Father, dependent on my Father, and trusting in my Father. My Heavenly Father is the head of His family.
So, I am used to the daughter role. I've been one my whole life. I have an absolutely wonderful father and mother. As an unmarried, young female, I am pretty well acquainted with the duties I have to my parents. I trust them, I know I should obey them and I do try to, and I am dependent on them for many things. I am used to these roles.
How do I do this for my Heavenly Father, who really should be foremost in all my plans and actions? Prayer and a willingness to obey are a good way to start. Prayer is not designed to be a bad thing. Just check the reference (and its preceding verses)!
God is my Father - my Protector, my Provider, and my Encourager (among other things of course). He constantly, consistently fulfills these roles as my Father. And it is so humbling to know that this is true even when I do not fulfill my roles as His daughter. I can still come to Him in prayer, and He gives good things! Not "health and wealth" style. He gives truly good things.
A prime example of this is listed in the reference: the Holy Spirit. God gave me the Holy Spirit because I asked. He did not deny His daughter good things. He does not deny His children what is good.
Go to Him in prayer, and He knows what is good to give to you. He is the head of His family, and He leads it perfectly.
God is good. Amen.
