There are many similarities between the children of Israel’s wilderness experience and our own walk with God. It was when Israel obeyed and followed the
Lord that God’s power was released. In the same way, our obedience releases the power of His hand toward our future. In fact, obedience is the guarantee
that we can obtain what He has promised us.

We can learn the following lessons from Israel’s experience in the wilderness. Then in our own Christian life we can get these vital yet basic foundations
firmly incorporated into our lives.

First, God desires for His people to freely and willingly worship Him. John 4:23 says “God is seeking after those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.” One of the important foundations of life is that we were created to worship. We are brought into His presence and lifted as we lift
Him up in our worship.

Second, we can look to the Lord and trust Him to provide our needs. God wants to be our Provider. Psalm 37:3 says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell
in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

Third, we must learn to follow His leading and allow Him to direct our steps. Psalm 23:2-3 says, “…He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my
soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

Israel’s time in the wilderness was not an end in itself. The purpose of this isolation with the Lord was to raise this nation into a new and higher dimension
of living. And by doing so they would fulfill their destiny.

The problems began when they chose to remain in the realm of provision instead of pressing on into a land of promise. They were reluctant to move from
trusting in what had become familiar, into the unfamiliar and an attitude of total trust in God.

They had found a certain security in this desert land where they knew God would provide their every need. He would feed them food from heaven, give them
water from a rock, cover them with His cloud and protect them from the scorching sun. But to move on meant trusting God for the unknown. That is true
faith. And faith is what they lacked.

Although the call came to leave the land of wandering, they chose to remain in the place of provision rather than going forward into the land of promise.
They became so accustomed to the provisions that they would not follow God’s initiative to press on to the land of milk and honey.

We, too, must guard ourselves from allowing the fear of the unknown to keep us in a place of mere provision. God wants to move us into a new and higher
dimension of living. Of course we rejoice that we have come to the place where we are experiencing God moving in our lives. We are grateful and content
in Him. But we should never confuse contentment with complacency. We must rise up and move into the promise of God!