God at the Center

And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own standard, with the ensign of their father's house: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch. Numbers 2:1-2

As the tribes of Israel made their journey through the wilderness towards the Promised Land, they were given strict instructions on how to camp between travels. Each tribe was allotted a specific place around the tabernacle of the Lord. They were to camp around it, north, south, east, and west, with three tribes to each station.

It struck me recently when I read this, how even the way the nation of Israel camped was meant to underline the centrality of God and his presence for the people. God was literally at the center; everything revolved around the physical symbol of his presence among men.

Should it not be the same with the Christian? Although we no longer need a physical tabernacle, for God is no longer worshipped in physical temples made with hands, yet our entire lives should be lived from morning to night, from January 1 to December 31, centered around God in Christ. Prayers to him should be on our lips and in our hearts when we rise and when we lay down. His law should be in our hearts and on our lips when we rise up and when we sit down (cf. Deuteronomy 6:6-9). We should cultivate daily trust and obedience and thanksgiving in the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, it should not be hard to do this. If we realized just how dependent upon him we really are and how vulnerable we are apart from his grace, we wouldn't dare take one step apart from consciously seeking his blessing. Let us therefore daily and hourly trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not upon our own understanding, and in all our ways acknowledge him so that he may direct our paths (Prov. 3:5-6).