Exodus 40:38 The Cloud of God was over The Dwelling during the day and the fire was in it at night, visible to all the Israelites in all their travels.

Here we come to the great final scene of Exodus. After all the drama in Egypt, the departure, the miracle of the Red Sea and the events at Sinai, the story reaches its climax: God moves in!

At Sinai, Moses received the building plans for the tabernacle, a tent of meeting. It was a portable sanctuary where God would dwell among His people. It is almost unthinkable that the Creator of heaven and earth would choose to be close to people.

And then, before the final stage was completed, the Israelites made another big mistake by building a golden calf.

But this shows us a wonderful characteristic of God: His abundant grace. God loved His people so much that He did not give them what they deserved. No, He gave them another chance.

And then this happened: God moved into the tent. His presence was made visible by the same pillar of cloud and fire that led them out of Egypt. He was no longer just the One who showed them the direction, but He became the One who lived among them.

They could see that God was present all the time. They experienced it. They knew when to travel and when to wait. They no longer lived as they wanted, but lived in dependence on God.

And that has always been God’s dream. He did not save them from Egypt to leave them on their own. He saved them to be close to Him. To live with them.

And it’s exactly the same for us. God now lives in us through His Spirit. Intimacy with God means not only that we will believe in Him, but that we will learn to direct our entire life according to His presence.

When God says move, we move. When He says wait, we do so. We no longer live on our own. We live knowing for sure that God is always with us.

Prayer
Father, thank you for still being involved with Your children. Thank you that I can know for sure today that You will never go away, despite me falling all the time. You are good …

Questions
Am I living in awareness of God’s presence, or am I just doing what I want?
Am I waiting for God’s guidance before I move, or do I rush ahead?
Where do I currently experience God telling me to “stay” or “move”?

Do this now
Today, be intentionally quiet and ask God, “Should I move or should I wait?” and write down what you experience.
Choose one decision that you have to make and don’t make it until you have first brought it to God in prayer.
Remind yourself throughout the day, “God is here”, and live every situation as if He is standing right next to you.