Numbers 10:11 says, “Now it came to pass on the twentieth day of the second month, in the second year, that the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle of the Testimony.” Verse 12 says that they set out from the Wilderness of Sinai on their journeys, “…then the cloud settled down in the Wilderness of Paran.” Verse 34 says, “And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day…”

The Presence of the Lord is not manifested to us as a visible cloud like the children of Israel had. Jeremiah 23:24 says, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him? says the Lord; do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.” Every living thing on this earth lives in His Presence. Yet, not every person acknowledges that truth.

When God made man out of the dust of the earth, what does Genesis 2:7 say? That God, “…breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” His Presence is manifested through our breath. Acts 17:28 says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being…” Psalm 150:6 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Isaiah 43:7 says that we are all created for His glory. Psalm 104:29 was written about the animals. It says, “You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.” Psalm 144:4 says, “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” James 4:14 is a good reminder for us. It says, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”

While we have breath, how shall we live? Job 27:3-4 says, “As long as my breath is in me, and the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.” Verse 6 says, “My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.” What did God say about Job at the beginning of the book? Job 1:8 says, “…a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”

As I was typing the first part of this a little song bubbled up. I paused in it because it ministered to my spirit. Just sing this slowly and thoughtfully, in whatever tune the Lord gives you. “Breath of God. Breath of God. Your Presence fills my inner being. Breath of God. Breath of God. I lift my heart to acknowledge Your Presence.” As you sing it, I encourage you to put your index finger lightly across your upper lip. Let the breath that you feel remind you afresh of Whose you are.

The children of Israel were in a wilderness. It was all uncharted territory. Yet, they knew that when they followed the cloud, the Lord would lead them. We have the Holy Spirit to lead us. John 14:17 says, “The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him,for He dwells with you and will be in you.”

1 John 2:27 says, “But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” The Holy Spirit will always lead us into truth. What we do need is to learn to trust His leading over our own. Holy Spirit, help us to follow You. Help us to be sensitive to how You are working, so that we do not resist You in any way. Lead us into the truth that will set us free from ourselves and the things that bind us.