Every day it seems that my eyes are drawn to the skies.  Maybe it's the dramatic sunrise or sunset - usually pink - clouds, but I've seen some spectular sights in the heavens.  One evening I happened to be driving home before the sun had fully set, so its orange and pink leftover rays were lighting up a cloud on the western horizon that looked remarkably like an angel hurrying along, clearly set on his mission.  Well, having an active imagination is surely part of a writer's soul? 

Another thing that has also prompted this 'looking up' is that several times I have read or heard about the Israelites as they travelled through the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.  I've always thought of them as 'wandering' about the desert for 40 years, more or less trailing aimlessly, marking time until those who had refused to go into the land had died.  However, the things I've read and the people I've heard have mentioned that the people followed the Lord in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.  When the cloud moved, they moved; when the cloud stopped, they stopped.  I knew this, but for some reason the reality hadn't reached me with such impact before.

So, I've started thinking about this cloud pillar of the Lord, which was not only a guide, but a protection and a source of light in the darkness.  There may have been no 'satnav' voice telling them when and where to turn (or turn around), but they followed the Lord's Presence.  That's all they had to do, and they found that difficult.  If the cloud moved, it must have taken a while to pack up their tents, gather their families and flocks, and get the 12 tribes moving.  They may not have known when or where their next move would take them, but they simply followed the cloud.

Is it that simple for me?  No!  I'd often like a signwriter in the sky or a hand appearing spelling out my next step on the wall in front of me, but that's not happened yet.  Jesus said, "When these things begin to happen, look up, for your redemptions draws near."  When what things happen?  The signs of the world around us will point to His second coming.  We all are noticing these things more lately, but am I looking at the skies rather than looking for His Presence?  There were surely lots of clouds in the skies above the desert, but the Israelites only had eyes for THE cloud.

I need to look up - but into His eyes, into the constant awareness of Him being with me, leading me, guiding me.  I need to go when He goes and stop when He stops.  I need to hear His heartbeat.  I'll still look up at the beauty of the skies, but while I do I'll also be listening.  He is ready and waiting for His people to trust His leading and follow.  We won't be simply wandering, but we will be moving and stopping, intent on the purpose He has for us to fulfil.