They followed the Lord

I was reading in Numbers 9 this morning and came across this section.

15On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16So it was always: the cloud covered it by day and the appearance of fire by night. 17And whenever the cloud lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18At the command of the LORD the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the LORD they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the LORD and did not set out. 20Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the LORD they remained in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they set out. 21And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23At the command of the LORD they camped, and at the command of the LORD they set out. They kept the charge of the LORD, at the command of the LORD by Moses.

God was with them by fire and pillar of cloud. They could always see him.

Through God they knew which way to do. They followed him. That is simply what the people of Israel needed to do. Follow God.

They waited on him. If God chose to linger a spell, they lingered. If God chose to hasten on, they hastened.

I read that and was struck by how different that is today.
People want so much to do things in their own time, in their own way, the idea of following God and going where he wants them to RIGHT NOW seems to have been lost. If God says wait, it often seems like it is fought.

I am guilty of this myself. I am often so impatient and just want things done my own way, at my own speed, when I desire to do it. It's wrong. It's not doing what I should be doing.. following the example that Christ left for us.

Christ... who willingly came down to earth.
Christ... who willingly died for us.

WHY? Because God so desired it.

I need to be more like the Israelites were... willing to wait and move at the Lord's behest, not my own.