“On the day the Tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered it. But from evening until morning the cloud over the Tabernacle looked like a pillar of fire. This was the regular pattern—at night the cloud that covered the Tabernacle had the appearance of fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the Lord’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. If the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for a long time, the Israelites stayed and performed their duty to the Lord. Sometimes the cloud would stay over the Tabernacle for only a few days, so the people would stay for only a few days, as the Lord commanded. Then at the Lord’s command they would break camp and move on. Sometimes the cloud stayed only overnight and lifted the next morning. But day or night, when the cloud lifted, the people broke camp and moved on. Whether the cloud stayed above the Tabernacle for two days, a month, or a year, the people of Israel stayed in camp and did not move on. But as soon as it lifted, they broke camp and moved on. So they camped or traveled at the Lord’s command, and they did whatever the Lord told them through Moses.”
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Numbers‬ ‭9‬:‭15‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT

God’s presence in our lives is not a guarantee of our own standards for safety, for timing or for planning. He does not guarantee to give us a detailed outline of everything that he is going to do and when it is going to happen. Yet, there are certain guarantees. Namely, there is a guarantee of general safety, basic direction, and his presence among us. The Hebrew people knew that God was with them and that this afforded them benefits. They had light at night and shade by day. They had safety from pitfalls. In many ways, though God didn’t operate as set of directions, he did provide himself as a true north by which they could live their general lives. This is a good picture of what it means to be a follower of God today, even after Christ and the canon of scripture. God directs us in general ways most of the time. Only sometimes does he directly intervene. It is up to us to move with him and be sensitive to his movement rather than demanding every detail spelled out for us. This is best exemplified by Paul who notably would try to go on certain missionary excursions, only to be redirected by the Holy Spirit. It is important that we be aware of the pillar and the cloud and not lose sight of them, lest we leave them behind.

God’s Guidance: God provides general safety, basic direction, and presence, not a detailed plan for life.

Following God’s Lead: Followers should be sensitive to God’s movement and not demand every detail.

Paul’s Example: Paul’s missionary journeys, guided by the Holy Spirit, illustrate the importance of being sensitive to God’s direction.