“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14
Let us do a bit of time traveling today. Imagine that you are an Israelite woman camped in the wilderness. For a few days you have been in one spot, and you have gone about your daily routine. Each morning as you awake, the first thing you do is go to your tent door and look towards the Tabernacle. Is the cloud still hovering over the Tabernacle, or has it started to rise? Depending on the answer, you will either wake the rest of the family and start packing up your belongings, or you will just settle down for another day in camp. Of course, the first thing you will have to do is gather the daily manna so that there will be food for your family, whether you are staying or traveling.
Numbers 9:15-23 tells us how God led His people by a pillar of cloud by night and a pillar of fire by day. When the cloud stayed upon the Tabernacle, the people rested in their tents, and when the cloud began to move, they packed up their belongings and started to march.
When I was reading this the other day, I realized that this had great meaning for us. Jesus leads us by His Spirit, by His presence that dwells within us. Each morning when we wake up, our first thought should be to thank the Lord for watching over us for another night, and for another day that He has given us. We should whisper a prayer to Him, asking that He will guide us and keep us through the day.
We do not know what the day holds, but the Lord does. When we commit the day to Him, He will lead us and guide us. As we read our Bible and pray, we are gathering the spiritual manna that we will need for whatever the day brings. Maybe today, He will just want us to rest and spend some extra time with Him. Or maybe, He has something that He wants us to do, someone He wants us to bless.
I was praying one morning last week, when I got a text from my neighbour asking me to pray for her. Instead of answering the text, I knocked on her door and asked her what was wrong. She was facing some difficult circumstances in her life. Since we can’t go into each other’s apartment, I prayed for her there in the hallway and felt God’s presence in a special way. As we prayed together, God ministered comfort and strength to her.
The Scripture in Romans tells us that as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God. Just as the Israelites looked for the cloud over the tabernacle to direct their day, so we rely on the presence of the Lord that dwells within us, to guide us and direct us. Every morning, and all through the day, let us be mindful of that presence and have our ears open to hear His call.
Prayer: Jesus, we thank you for your presence, for your Holy Spirit, that dwells with us. Help us to be sensitive to the leading of your Spirit and use us to bless others.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
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