Remain

Numbers 9:17-18
Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 
 
One of the hardest things for me to do is wait and be still. I desire to see the action, control the situation, and take charge. However, through scripture and my own experience, I’ve learned that God moves mightily in the times of waiting. Throughout scripture, God’s Word reminds us to remain in the middle of what He’s doing. In the scripture above, God told the Israelites to set out when the cloud moved and to settle when it settled. Would you have struggled with this command? It would have been tough for me. Do you ever feel like God is asking you to remain in a situation that you think you should move forward in? I know I do.
 
Speed and efficiency are not always the point. The end goal is a continued trust and dependence that God is the one in control of the situation, not us. As we’ve mentioned before, sometimes God wants us to learn to trust Him in a season before He leads us out of that season. The command for the Israelites to wait was to learn to depend on God. It was a command to His people to remain in His presence. This command was a foreshadowing of the command Jesus gives us in John to remain in Him. Don’t get ahead of God. Remember, we can be content without being complacent. Press forward while remaining in the center of God’s will. God wants us to be prepared for our next season. But our growth in this season reaches full maturity only when we remain where He has us until His work is complete. After all, it’s impossible to produce spiritual fruit unless we remain in Him.
 
John 15:4
Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.