Last week, my Sunday School teacher was teaching about the cloudy pillar and how it was used by God to guide His people. One of the applications he made resonated with me, and I thought perhaps you might benefit from it as I did.
In bringing some practical principles from the manner of God's leading the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land, my teacher stated an obvious fact which I had never really thought about: Some times, God led the Israelites to a place for the purpose of staying awhile. These stationary places were always for a purpose, and the parallel can be aptly made to God's leading in our lives.
Though the manner of God's leading is different for us than for the Israelites (I haven't seen any cloudy pillars around lately), the fact of His leading is nevertheless the same. Just like the Israelites, sometimes God leads us to places in life where we are to pitch our tents and stay awhile.
I think I am in one of those stationary places, and have been for a little while, and for the most part I am enjoying the benefits and blessings of this stage of life, but just like with any stage of life, some days it's just hard.
It was in the aftermath of one of those particularly hard days that the statement about stationary places came to mind. It made me stop and acknowledge that yes, I was struggling, not with the place I'm camped in, but the fact that I'm still here with no change in sight.
This thought was discouraging at first, but then the Holy Spirit tugged on my heart, reminding me that there can be no joy in following unless I am surrendered to the wisdom of God's guidance.
Imagine the absurdity of going to a country you had never been before, joining a tour group, and spending the whole time saying to your neighbors: "I don't know about this route... I mean, I 've never been here before, but I'm sure we should have taken that road over there... it looks far more suitable to me."
Yet, that's exactly the absurdity of my inward bemoaning of my stationary place. I was behaving just like a little child, impatiently tugging at her parent's sleeve and saying, "Come on, let's go!"
That gentle call to surrender prompted me to humbly acknowledge that God is my Guide, and I can trust His leading, however long His loving hand might require me to stay still.
I must admit that my long talk with the Lord about this didn't change the circumstances that had made the day so difficult, and it still felt hard, but at the same time, I could take those feelings to God and rest in the peace of knowing that this was what God in His infinite and loving wisdom had chosen for me, and that, dear reader, has made all the difference.
After all...
There is no true joy without surrender.
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