We have been called to follow the presence of God, not our emotions or any human prediction of success. This calling will look and sound strange to those not in an intimate relationship with the Lord. It will reveal the life of someone who has remained faithful to the Lord, doing all He asked of them, even if their obedience would be misunderstood by some.

When Moses set up the materials for the construction of the Tabernacle, it was assembled just as the Lord had commanded Moses. The phrase, “Just as the Lord had commanded him,” was repeated eight times in the closing verses of Exodus as a review of how true Moses had remained to the Lord’s design for the Tabernacle. When Moses completed the assembly of the Tabernacle is it is written, “So at last, Moses finished the work” (Exodus 40:33).

When the assembly of the Tabernacle was complete, something powerful took place: “The glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle” (vs. 35). The glory of God was not revealed as a stationary manifestation. It was to be the focus of their future journeys that would lead the nation forward. 

“Now, whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night, fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys” (vs. 36-38).

The example of the glory of God appearing in the Tabernacle is not something that just happened in the Old Testament. As the Lord fills us with His presence today, we become living tabernacles for the display of God’s glory. We are to live and move and have our being because of God’s glory.

Some are sensing that a season of change is coming. That change will require packing up our living Tabernacle and moving either by changing our physical location or experiencing a shift in our calling as we follow the Lord’s presence into the future. 

We are called to follow the Lord’s presence no matter what obstacle stands in the way of our obedience.  Part of the process of our obedience will require the courage to do whatever the Lord asks of us. Our obedience to follow the leading of God’s presence will provide a testimony of our lives to others, revealing a life that did, “Just as the Lord had commanded.”