Our texts of devotion are taken from the book of NUMBERS 9:15-23 and it reads:

And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning.

So it was alway: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night.

And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed: and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents.

At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they pitched: as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they rested in their tents.

And when the cloud tarried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not.

And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; according to the commandment of the LORD they abode in their tents, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed.

And so it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and that the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed: whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.

Or whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel abode in their tents, and journeyed not: but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

MESSAGE

It is often said that the first duty of every soul is to find not its freedom but its Master. The escaping Israelites were blessed to have God and His obedient servant Moses leading them through their wilderness journey. After more than 400 years of servitude, Israel needed someone who can hear God speak and give clear direction of how to reach the Promised Land. Though decades of Egyptian servitude had dulled their hope, a new leader, backed by God’s unfailing promises and powerful signs and wonders, was all they needed to steer their depressed hearts in the pathway to the Promised Land.

Today’s text illustrates the story of God’s workings amid His people. We are exposed to God’s reliability during uncertainties of life. The writer of the book of Proverbs counseled believers that, while trusting the Lord with all our hearts, we must never lean on our understanding. “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”, he says. The wilderness of Sinai was a very thorny terrain, hence the name Sinai. It was an area filled with uncertainties and unexpected danger for fearful Israel. Thorns and thistles are poor enablers when deciding on matters of eternity. However, the Lord our hope personified, promises to guide our steps along the path He has chosen if we let Him. He knows when to activate the journey and when to rest our weary souls. It was a training that will prove useful when Israel finally came face-to-face with their foes who were bent on keeping them from God’s provision.

In her popular song His eye is on the sparrow written in 1905, Civilla Durfee Martin (1866-1948) the Canadian assured us that there’s an eye in the sky seeing all the activities of men. The seen realm is for men, but the unseen belongs to our God who not only beholds the visible but also dwells in the realm of the invisible. This is why we can trust Him with every iota of our lives. At His command, we go. At His command, we stay. This is the secret of those who arrive safely in the journey of life. We must learn to obey and follow God’s leading. He knows and sees all.