In today’s first reading from Exodus 40: 16-21, 34-38, we are given instructions that are
applicable to our lives as Christians
today; namely, Moses does exactly as the Lord had commanded him in erecting “the
Dwelling.” Also of significance to those
erecting a dwelling for the Lord within their very being and within their
marriage, their single life, their religious life or as priests, is the statement: “Whenever the cloud rose from the Dwelling,
the children of Israel would set out on their journey. But if the cloud did not
lift, they would not go forward; only when it lifted did they go forward. In
the daytime the cloud of the Lord was seen over the Dwelling; whereas at night,
fire was seen in the cloud by the whole house of Israel in all the states of
their journey.”
How often do I act when “the cloud” has not lifted. I am
unsure. I have no clear sign of which direction to choose but go ahead anyway.
The result: I realize that I did not wait upon the Lord. I rushed ahead and did
it MY way. When I do that, it is always a mistake. Psalm 27: 14, tells us to “wait
for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord.” Psalm 37: 7 counsels us to “[b]e still before
the Lord and wait patiently for him.”
The prophet Isaiah reminds us that “they who wait for the Lord shall
renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall
run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (Is 40:31). The prophet Habakkuk
reminds us that “the vision awaits its
appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait
for it; it will surely come; it will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3).
Your experience?
