I'm Camping Out

Waking up could not have been any better this morning. I woke up at 5 to go on my run, only to find that it was lightening and thundering up a storm, not raining yet, but know that about 5 minutes after I would've begun running I would've gotten poured on.

So, I got back in bed and layed there while the rain came pouring down. I finally got out of bed at 6:00 and came downstairs to the amazing smell of my beloved coffee maker! I got to read, pray, think, and write an email to a friend, all the while listening to the most relaxing music from Pride and Prejudice.

Mornings like this are so necessary for me! Why is it that I love waking up early so much and having a long morning all to myself? Usually it's because God is always so kind to encourage me or to speak new things into my life.

As I was reading this morning about the Moses leading the Israelites out of Egpyt to their promised land, one of my favorite parts is after they have been traveling in the wilderness for 3 months and come to Mt Sinai, "the mountain of God." If you look at a map, you see that Canaan, the promised land, is VERY far away from Mt Sinai. God has been leading them through the wilderness, for several reasons. But mainly because he knew that if they took the easy route to get to Canaan, they would crumble in times of war and would loose hope in God, and go all the way back to Egpyt, the very place that held them captive for all those years!

So God has them camped out in the wilderness, at this mountain. Far from their destination - their promised land - land flowing with so much tasty food and water that they have been deprived of for so long. They have come to a place in their journey where they have to have 100% total dependence on God.

Wouldn't it be interesting, when faced with a "wilderness journey", a difficult season of life, or a time when we are needing answers, if we just camped out right in the midst of it all? I wonder what would happen if we, instead of trying as best as we can to get out of the situation, camped out in front of it asking God to what He wants to do for us in this time? I bet there is something to be gained that is far greater than getting the answer we want.

As for me, I camping out in front of my mountain today. I know the Lord wants to reveal Himself to me in a way that will change my life forever.