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 mountain’s base and fail to move on. We enjoy the scenery. We like the shelter and the shade of the hill – not to mention its security. Even if the situation is less than ideal, staying rather than moving on is often more tempting. At least where we are, we know what to expect. Moving on introduces us to the unknown, and all our vulnerabilities rise to the surface.
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 and no longer under the thumb of the Egyptian Pharaoh. They had been liberated, set free and getting accustomed to their new living arrangements in Horeb. But Horeb was not their destination – it was only a stopping place along the God-directed journey. The following note in Moses’ journal reads like this:
The LORD our God spoke to us in Horeb, saying, You have dwelt long enough in this mount: Turn you, and take your journey, and go .” Deuteronomy 1:6-7
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 for us to become what He has in mind for us.
To venture in a direction not planned and endorsed by Him is reckless Christian living. But resisting moving when He has prompted us to go is reckless in another way – disobedience. Any path other than the path of obedience is the wrong route. It is the route of disobedience.
Is the Lord telling 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 but a spiritual move. God expects you to make progress and not get bogged down, stuck in a rut or stranded on a plateau of Christian experience.
Perhaps He is whispering to you: “You’ve been here long enough. It is time for you to be baptized 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.
Have you ever tried Karaoke? Click on this link and take four minutes to sing this beautiful hymn below – written by W. Elmo Mercer:
Each step I take my Saviour goes before me,
And with His loving hand, He leads the way;
O what joy to walk with Him each day.
And with each breath I whisper, “I adore Thee!”
Chorus:
Each step I take, I know that He will guide me
To higher ground He ever leads me on;
Until some day the last step will be taken,
Each step I take just leads me closer home.
At times I feel my faith begin to waver,
When up ahead I see a chasm wide;
It’s then I turn and look up to my Saviour –
I am strong, when He is by my side.
I trust in God, no matter come what may,
For life eternal is in His hand;
He holds the key that opens up the way
That will lead me to the Promised Land.
Don’t hesitate to share a thought from your personal experience in the comment section below. Or, if you would like to reach out privately, click below.
