Staying At God's Side

February 19 (Numbers 9:22)

Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out.   (ESV)

Have you ever watched toddlers and little children when they are with their parents and away from home?  They may run around in the house and hang from the ceiling, but when they are in unfamiliar places, surrounded by really big people, they cling right to mommy or daddy.  If mommy turns down an aisle at the store, the child’s little legs are quick to follow, and daddy’s hand means safety and comfort when crossing a parking lot.

So it was with the Israelites as they left Egypt for the land that God had promised them.  He revealed His presence in a cloud, and this verse depicts the absolute trust these people had for Abba, their Father.  As long as the cloud stayed, they stayed.  Whether it was for a couple of days, or a month, or more, their agenda to get where they were going was not more important than being with and following God.  They moved only when He did.

As for me, I like speed.  I want to get where I want to go yesterday.  That’s why this is such an important verse.  Do I attempt to drive God with my agenda, or do I surrender to Him and let Him lead me?  Am I in search a hurry to achieve this or that or to alleviate some pain in my life that I rush out into the darkness in search of my own solutions?  I want to be like the Israelites.  I want to be like a toddler before my Abba.  I want to move when He moves, stay when He stays, and always be with Him.

Father, too often I act as if I am a rebellious teenager, certain that my way is best and hell-bent to follow after it.  That’s foolish, and I know it.  Lead me back to innocent trust in You.  May I never stray from Your side.  Amen.

Copyright © 2017 by Steven R. Perkins

Children Need You

January 24 (Proverbs 22:6)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.  (ESV)

He was not sure where to sleep because the previous night his home had been attacked with an automatic weapon using hollow-tip bullets.  She could not participate in class for grief over her grandmother and aunt who had been strangled to death over the weekend.    And when a teenaged boy comes to you in tears, you know something is wrong, so you listen patiently as he tells you about going to a local stress center and the myriad battles he faces both at school and at home.

Friends, these are real children.  They are students with whom I have interacted over a period of one week.  In many ways, childhood has always been a dangerous time.  Child labor, child soldiers, child prostitution…adults have preyed upon and used children since the world began.  We have a vision of what childhood should be, one of innocent exploration of a mysterious and wonderful creation.  It is a good vision, but make no mistake.  It is a vision of what can be and not necessarily of what is.

We all have children to rear.  They may be our own, they may be our students, they may be our grandchildren, the children in our youth group, or the players on the teams we coach.  They may be nieces and nephews or the kids down the street.  They may be the ones who go every day to the library or that we see sacking our groceries.  No matter your age or station in life, there are children in your orbit.  How will you help them in the way they should go so that when they are older they will walk with Jesus?

Father, it is so easy for me to become consumed with the issues that directly affect me and nothing else.  Open my eyes to all those around me.  Help me to be intentional in my interactions with them, whether in offering an act of love or a word of truth.  May everyone I encounter walk more closely with You because of the work of Jesus in my life.  In His holy name, I pray.  Amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins