The Israelites in the wilderness must have had expectations of how the journey to the Promised Land would unfold. They likely would have been in a hurry to experience the joy of having their own land. To be clear of danger and feel secure.

It might have been quite frustrating for them to then have the LORD ask them to sit and wait.

Faith is an incredible calling on our lives. We are called to assess the evidence and make logical decisions. We are called to trust in the God of mystery when logic needs to be transcended. We are called to listen, and to follow.

One challenge of faith is to be asked to wait when we are ready to go, or to have to go when you are ready to wait.

When the gap between God’s leading and expectations widens, faith becomes paramount. Whom (or what) do we trust? What do we lean on? Where do we place our belief, our hope?

The angels know what is at stake. They are like spectators watching a World Cup goal. They know the deep truth that sometimes eludes us: the presence of God is the truest Promised Land. That whether He is calling us to wait or to go, He is with us. And in this truth is the security we seek.

“Throughout all their journeys whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the sons of Israel would set out; but if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out until the day when it was taken up.”
– Exodus 40:36-37