Good morning ALL! Numbers chapter 2. The Israelites were to Camp around the Tent of Meeting (the place where God resided) with the banner of their family. When they traveled they did so in this manner. The presence of the Lord was in the center part of all the Israelites because they were structured around the tent of meeting. When they set out to travel to a new location, God's presence was always in the center of the Israelites. No matter where they went, God was with them, in fact God was in the center of their hearts and they were a total unified body. I have to ask, is God the center of our our hearts? Do we want to take him with us wherever we go? Are there places we go, or things we read, or things we watch that we prefer our God not come along? Or is God so much in the center of our hearts that it affects every decision we make? Our focus is so much upon him that it affects how we treat and love others? It affects how much time we set aside just so we can be alone with him. Are we selfish with our relationship with God or do we want our whole family to be a part of this journey with Christ? And do we want our friends and coworkers to be a part of this journey with Christ? God, I'm not perfect, But that doesn't mean I don't want you in the center of my life. I need you! Forgive me when I exclude you from my heart. Forgive me when I look at something or go places and you are not included. Be so much the center of my life and heart that it impacts and affects my quiet time, my decisions in life and my desire to reach out so others can experience the same adventurous walk with Christ.
Daily Bible Challenge: Day 119 – Numbers 2 Copy
Reading this reminds me of my adventures in Desert Storm back in 1991 .. we were scattered all over , with the general smack dab in the middle, we would take role call every morning …. I can still feel the hot dry air and sticky sand ….
(Not many comforts of home)
, I didn’t know God then, but he was with me
And as far as PB questions
yes at times there is still some darkness in my heart, and I love church but struggle sharing my faith outside…. I’m looking forward to hanging with the kids this summer
Looking forward to having you here Brian!!
Imagine how large this campsite was. There are estimates that it would take 12 square miles just to accommodate the tents for the 600,000 fighting men – not to mention the women and children.
If we were able to look down on the camp from above as God’s people moved toward the promised land, we would have seen a configuration of a cross moving across the wilderness with Judah in the lead. This was God’s design! And when we get to chapter 22, this is what Balaam would see when he looked down on the camp. Our God is an awesome God and worthy of all our praise!
Wow, Jeanine, I had no idea about the configuration of the cross as God’s people moved towards the promised land. It’s a reminder than God knows every single detail of our lives and when He calls us, He has a purpose! We may not see the purpose, why certain families were placed where they were, but He knows the purpose!
Blair I Hope to be brave like you mentioned in Acts 1, because often I do just what you described, have certain times and places I don’t welcome my faith life fully into the lives of those around me. One time I was criticized for praying before a meal, it was making someone uncomfortable, and I was asked not to do it anymore. This hurt, because it was family, and a believer as well. The relationship with their atheist relative and their comfort level was more important than thanking God for our meal and saying grace. I still think about this situation in certain settings and I hold back saying grace. I pray I can be brave again and remember who I belong to, and who must be the center of my life!
That’s heartbreaking, Sarah. I can’t imagine how anyone can be offended by a silent prayer by another person. I think society as a whole today needs to get over themselves … everything does not have to please everyone and they can still survive.
It’s hard for me to picture what it truly would have been like for so many people to be camped out in the desert for such a long time. The closest taste of anything that I can compare it with for me would be when I had the opportunity to participate in Stand In the Gap in Washington DC many years ago with Promise Keepers. People were gathered together and it seemed like there were so many faces in all directions. That was only for a day. Just imagine what it would have been like to spend years like this.