May the mumbling commence!
In the great dance of faith, who takes the lead? Sometimes we may think that important spiritual leaders take the lead. Have you ever seen a church dwindle when the pastor moves on? This should not be. It makes me disconsolate. There is another, much greater, who takes the lead in the great dance of faith. Read from the end of Numbers chapter ten:
One day Moses said to his brother-in-law, Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, "We are on our way to the Promised Land. Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has given wonderful promises to Israel!"
But Hobab replied, "No, I will not go. I must return to my own land and family."
"Please don't leave us," Moses pleaded. "You know the places in the wilderness where we should camp. Come, be our guide and we will share with you all the good things that the Lord does for us."
They marched for three days after leaving the mountain of the Lord, with the Ark of the Lord's covenant moving ahead of them to show them where to stop and rest. As they moved on each day, the cloud of the Lord hovered over them. And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would cry, "Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!" And when the Ark was set down, he would say, "Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel!" (Verses 29-36)
Moses first looks to his brother-in-law for guidance. He knew the wilderness that they were going into. He would know the best places to camp. But his brother-in-law refused to come along.
Then there is a dramatic shift in the next portion of the passage. The Ark of the Covenant moved ahead of them. Whenever the Ark set out, Moses reminded Israel that the Lord was arising to lead them. Whenever the Ark settled down, Moses reminded the people that the Lord was returning to Israel. Who better would know the best places to camp than the Great Creator who made the wilderness?
Yes, we need to follow the Lord’s lead in whatever form it might take. Read from Luke chapter two:
That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David! And this is how you will recognize him: You will find a baby lying in a manger, wrapped snugly in strips of cloth!"
Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others – the armies of heaven – praising God: "Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and peace on earth to all whom God favors. "
When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Come on, let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
They ran to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. Then the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished, but Mary quietly treasured these things in her heart and thought about them often. The shepherds went back to their fields and flocks, glorifying and praising God for what the angels had told them, and because they had seen the child, just as the angel had said. (Verses 8-20)
A singing host from heaven! How’s that for a sign?!? And the shepherds (some of the lowliest of people) went as commanded and found it just as they were told they would. And these shepherds did not keep quiet. They told others what they had heard. May we be as humble and obedient as these shepherds on the night that Jesus was born… following the lead of the Lord through his angels.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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