Life is continually changing. The death of a loved one, the loss of a job, an illness,and growing older to mention a few. Then there are changes that appear to be good changes, but require adjustments that can sometimes be difficult, such as marriage, the birth of baby, a new job, moving to a new place. What ever it may be life is continually changing. I read a Christian article recently that said we need to "embrace change." Yet we often resist change. It has been said, "that we are creatures of habit" and change requires that we come out of our comfort zone.
Let's face it we just don't like change. We like to stay where things are comfortable and familiar. Yet God taught His people in the Wilderness to depend upon Him and embrace change instead of resisting it.
Paul tells us this picture of "the children of Israel in the Wilderness" is given to us as an "example" to follow.
They camped out in tents on their way to the Promised Land of Blessing. Each day they would get up and look to see if the cloud had lifted over the Tabernacle which housed the presence of God in the center of their camp. He gave them a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to lead them. When the cloud lifted they moved, if it stayed they stayed. They never knew from one day to the next whether or not they would be moving to another location on their way to the Promised Blessing God had for them. They could be in one spot for only one day, or it could be months or even years before they would move.
This way God was teaching them to depend on Him. I am sure there were some places where they got comfortable and thought maybe they would like to stay in this place and make it home. And then they would get up the next day and the cloud had lifted. Then there would be places that were uncomfortable, probably where there were snakes and scorpions and they couldn't wait to leave. And they would end up being there for a long time.
Life is like that. We don't know what tomorrow will bring as we camp out in these "tents" called bodies on our way to the Promised Blessing (God has great and precious promises in His Word ).You may not like where you are camped out right now. You may have just experienced a loss in your life, or it maybe an illness you are having to endure. Something may have happened and you feel like your world is falling apart.
Yet when we have the Lord in the center of wherever we are camped we are going to make it through. We look to Him to lead us and guide us into His great and precious promises. He promised He would not leave nor forsake us. He promised us an "abundant life" (Jn.10 :10). He said "I will make a roadway in the Wilderness and give you streams in the desert." Trust ME!!!Is. 43:19
God tells us in His Word that He has come to gives us an abundant, blessed life. Just like a woman when she finds out she is pregnant and God is going to bless her with a child. At first there is no sign that she is going to have a child. To look at her you would never know. Her body begins to CHANGE and actually life gets worse for awhile. She begins to swell, and right before that child is born she becomes quite miserable experiencing a great amount of pain. But then when that baby is born what a blessing!!!
Some of you look at your circumstances right now and there is no sign of blessing. In fact it looks like things are worse and life is painful. But the Lord says "hang in there! Trust Me! Don't look at your situation as it is. Blessing is coming!!!
The Lord says "Before the birth pains began she gave birth and delivered a child? Whoever heard of such a thing? Would I bring to the time of birth and then not cause delivery?" Is. 66:7
Trust Him that even in the midst of the worst circumstances that He is going to do something great in and through your life. Remember there was a whole generation of people who never entered into His "promised blessing" because they didn't listen to Him, believe Him and obey Him. I believe there will be many people in Heaven who never experienced His blessing on this earth, because they chose to dwell on their circumstances instead of trusting God
Make sure that He is in the center of your "camp (life)". Look to Him to lead you and guide you, not at how bad your circumstances are. We serve a God who never changes. He is the same God today who led His children through the Wilderness thousands of years ago. Embrace the change in your life. Know that He who is faithful will bring you though what ever circumstance you face in life. "I am the Lord and I change not." Mal. 3:6
