Before my family relocated to Canada, we faced a lot of pressure from my siblings and parents to move from our home country to North America, since that’s where most of them had already settled. On paper, it seemed like a good idea. But I wanted to go only on God’s leading, not on the momentum of family expectation.
The pressure kept growing anyway.
Then one Sunday, a guest minister preached from the book of Ruth in our church. Midway through his message, he paused, turned to me directly, and said, “Don’t go if God has not asked you to.” That was confirmation for us. We decided to relocate only when God led us to. Eventually, we received His approval to move — and there could not have been a better time.
When Retracing Your Steps Isn’t the Same as Obedience
That kind of waiting isn’t easy, and Israel’s story in Numbers 14 shows just how costly it is to get the timing wrong. After the Israelites refused to enter the land God had promised them, they felt remorseful and decided to go in after all. In their own minds, they were simply correcting course — retracing their steps and doing what God had originally wanted. But God did not approve it, and He would not go with them. Moses warned them plainly that if they went up, they would be struck down before their enemies, because the Lord was not among them (Numbers 14:42). The rest of the chapter tells us they went up anyway, straight into the hill country, and the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived there came down and defeated them, chasing them back as far as Hormah (Numbers 14:39-45).
Here’s what strikes me about this story: the Israelites weren’t rebelling by trying to enter the land. They were trying to obey — just on their own timetable instead of God’s. And that distinction cost them dearly.
Paul’s Delay Was Not a Denial
Paul’s story shows the same principle working the other way. Luke tells us that Paul and his companions traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia because they had been kept by the Holy Spirit from speaking the word in Asia, and that when they tried to go into Bithynia, the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them (Acts 16:6-7). This wasn’t because God didn’t want the Asians to hear the gospel. It simply wasn’t the right time for them to go. Eventually, Paul did preach in Asia, and Luke records that all who lived in the province, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord (Acts 19:10). If Paul had pushed ahead into Asia when he first wanted to, he wouldn’t have seen the fruit he later did.
The same principle runs through both stories: the Israelites’ premature obedience led to defeat, while Paul’s patient obedience led to a harvest. Timing wasn’t a minor detail in either case — it was the difference between loss and blessing.
Keeping in Step with the Spirit
God’s leading is paramount to the life of the Christian. Paul tells the Romans that as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God (Romans 8:14) — and that leading covers not just where we go, but when. God never wants us to go anywhere without Him, and He never wants us to move faster or slower than He does.
As we seek the Spirit’s leading, we can keep in step with God’s timing and receive His blessing for it — not just the destination He has for us, but the timing He has for us too. So today, my prayer is simple: Father, I do not ever want to go anywhere or do anything without You. Help me stay constantly in tune with Your Holy Spirit, so that I keep in step with Your leading and never run ahead of — or lag behind — where You’re taking me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
