Moments from my heart journey. Spontaneous and unrefined revelation.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Happy Wanderer

As I lay awake last night, adjusting to my great new mattress and sleeping in air conditioning, I suddenly realized, "Wasn't it miraculous that my air mattress lasted over 8 months of daily use in Micronesia?"    I think thats in the same category of miracle as when God kept the Israelites' clothes from wearing out for 40 years…

I know that the Israelites time in the wilderness and their route may have seemed like "wandering in the desert for 40 years" when it could have taken only a few weeks.  And I know that part of it was because they didn't have the faith to enter straight into the promised land when they believed the report of the intimidated spies.  But, I realized that I wouldn't really have thought of it as wandering.  

They were following the presence of God in a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night!  They were being led by God.  Camping, and moving from place to place as he moved and led them.  They were learning about the character and nature of the mysterious God who had appeared to their ancestors a handful of times and promised to make them his very own people.  They where learning about the faithfulness and tender loving care of the mighty God who delivered them into freedom with such awesome signs and wonders.  They were on a journey to get to know their God.  They needed to know him and have so many personal and corporate encounters with him before they entered into the land of Canaan so that they would have a chance of staying faithful to worship him in a land influenced by countless other gods.  

God took them on a journey to know him.  They discovered him as "the Lord my banner" who gave them victory over their enemies, they discovered him as the provider of their daily food, manna and quail.  They discovered him as the giver of rest, as he provided enough manna on the 6th day of the week to give them a day of rest on the 7th day.  They discovered him as water gushing from a rock, and the one who leads them to oasis in the desert.  They discovered his faithfulness and might to lead them by his own presence in the cloud and fire.  They discovered that he listened to their complaints, even though he preferred them to trust him in thankfulness than to complain….  


They learned a lot about this amazing God, and he became their own.  They began to learn what their identity was like, what it looks like to be the people of God.  What pleases him, what makes him mad.  His justice and mercy….  They looked like wanders.  They camped out for 40 years, just like their forefathers, they camped, they moved, they were the people of God, moving towards something.  Moving towards knowing him and his character, and trusting in his faithfulness, and the fulfillment of his promises.

I have looked at my life the past few years and so many transitions and nations, languages, teams and families…  and sometimes it seems a little bit like wandering.  haha.  But I have known his presence and his faithfulness more and more in every step.  He has me on this journey of knowing him and seeing him making himself known in all the world.  


As I get on airplanes between cultures and languages and comfort zones, I feel him, he is with me.  He is my real home.  I am one of His. Who wanders in his Presence.  Happy to be one of His wanderers. 


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"We don't take Jesus to the ends of the earth, He takes us." - Paul Otoko