How long have you been in the same place? Do you have any plans to leave or are you quite comfortable right where you are? Sometimes we get stuck at the base of the mountain and fail to move on. We enjoy the scenery. We like the shelter and the shade of the mountain – not to mention its security. Even if the situation is less than ideal, it is often more tempting to stay then to move on. At least where we are, we know what to expect. To move on, introduces us to the unknown and all our vulnerabilities are unmasked.

The children of Israel were on a journey led by the Lord Himself. They had been camping near the mountain range of Horeb. Mount Sinai with all its memories dominated the landscape. They had been there for about a year as a new society – no longer in captivity; no longer under the thumb of the Egyptian Pharaoh. They were liberated, set free and getting accustomed to their new living arrangement in Horeb. But Horeb was not their destination – it was only a stopping place along the God-directed journey. The next note in Moses’ journal reads like this:

When the Lord says: “Time’s up. You’ve been here long enough. Get up and get going,” He expects us to obey. To linger or to dig in our heels or to take an alternate route is to do so at our own peril. The Lord has a path for each one of us to take. He knows each step before we ever twitch our muscles, bend our knees, or lift our feet. He does not expect us to blaze our own trails or forge ahead where He is not leading us. He knows us intimately – better than we know ourselves. He knows exactly what we need in order for us to become what He has in mind for us. To venture in a direction that has not first been planned and endorsed by Him is reckless Christian living. But to resist moving when He has prompted us to go is reckless in another way – it is disobedience. Any path other than the path of obedience is the wrong route. It is the route of disobedience.

Is the Lord saying to you about your location spiritually: “You’ve dwelt long enough in the shadow of this mountain. It’s time to move on?” For you it may not be a physical journey to a new location; it may be a spiritual move. God expects you to make progress and not get bogged down or stuck in a rut or stranded on a plateau of Christian experience. Perhaps He is whispering to you: “You been here long enough. It is time for you to be baptised as a believer.” Or maybe He is saying: “You’ve been here long enough; it’s time for you to move forward with your spiritual responsibilities. I saved you for a purpose and lingering here in this state is not My purpose. I expect you to move on from here.”

The secret of happy and peaceful Christian living on our journey home to Heaven is ‘obedience’ to the Lord. To go when He says go and to stop when He says stop. To obey His every signal. To submit to His every command. To follow Him carefully wherever He leads us.