The Ballestero Blog

Mama, I’m Tired Of Walking

Who’s that hollering out there? What is all the commotion about? Run outside and see what is causing all the noise!

The young girl ran to the door of the tent and looked out. Their tent door always faced the Tabernacle, and it’s shape stood high above the tops of their neighbors’ tents.

“It’s moved,” she exclaimed!

“What’s moved?” The girl’s mother wanted to know.

“The cloud has moved. It’s moving slowly to the East!”

Trumpets sounded and officially declared that it was time to take up their beds and fold up their tents.

Children ran to gather the animals and find their favorite items. It was time to go! The cloud never waited for anyone to catch up.

The raucous noise of the donkeys braying was almost overwhelming. The cows were complaining about the sudden moves. Those that had carts hitched them to their oxen. Dogs barked in all the excitement.

The cloud was not drifting with the wind. It moved at it’s own pace, regardless of the elements around it. The travel weary Israelites plodded forward, not knowing where or when they would stop next.

“Why does God make us do this, Mom?” The little girl asked as she walked by her mother’s side.

“Why does He make us do what?” The Mother wanted to know.

“Why does He make us just pack up all the time and move to strange places? How come we can’t have a house like we did in Goshen?”

“Baby, Be careful when you talk about God. We are not supposed to ask Him why. We just do what He tells us and we go where He leads us. Sometimes we like where He makes us stop, sometimes we are happy when we leave there.

The reason we don’t have a house like we did in Egypt, is that we don’t live here. We are on a journey to our new home. We are pilgrims and strangers in the land. We are passing through, and we are not home yet. Where we are going, is a land that flows with milk and honey. It’s not like the wilderness here.

“When will we ever get there?” The little girl wanted to know. “My feet are tired from walking already.”

“I know, my child, but God seems to know how much we are able to endure in one day. He always leads us to where He wants us to be. He has us stop and rest at just the right time.

“But I liked the last place we were at Mommy! I really didn’t want to leave there.”

“Hush child, don’t you ever talk like that again. God could have left us to die in slavery in Egypt. We would have spent the rest of our lives being beaten by the slave master every day. We lived where the slave master said and we ate what they let us. God delivered us from all that.

“Now we are the children of Jehovah. He doesn’t beat us and hurt us like the Egyptians did. We are not in bondage anymore. We follow God because He brought us out of bondage. Jehovah-Jireh supplies all our needs.

Do you remember the song that Moses taught us to sing?

Ex. 15:1…I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

Ex. 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Ex. 15:3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

Ex. 15:4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.

Our God fights for us. He takes care of us. Have you noticed that none of us ever get sick?

Look at Mama’s sandals. They still look new don’t they? I’ve had these since we left Goshen. The Lord Jehovah doesn’t even let our clothes wear out. Honey, He is good to us. Why not follow wherever He leads us?

We are following that cloud because that is the presence of the Lord. If it moves, we move too.

In the night-time, the pillar of cloud turns into a pillar of fire. It even helps us see in the dark night.

Every morning He gives us Manna to eat. He even gave us water out of a rock. He fights our enemies for us. Your Father and I follow where He leads because we choose too.

“I know Mama, I have heard you and Father talk. But we have been walking for years it seems like, and I am tired of walking, walking, walking. I wish we where there.”

“I wish we were there too baby, but just keep walking. We’re not home yet. We’ll get there!”