“From the whole community of Israel, record the names of all the warriors by their clans and families.” (Num 1:2)

One year after the Israelites left Egypt and one month after the Tabernacle is completed, the LORD instructs Moses to take a census of all the tribes to determine the number of men old enough to go to war. We must not miss the significance of when God instructed the Israelites to stand up their army.

The Israelites left Egypt armed for war. Or so they thought. God knew better and directed them into the desert. To Mt. Sinai. The Israelites knew where they were headed. A land described as flowing with milk and honey. They knew where they were called. Yet they camped. In the desert. This astounds me. For all of their grumbling and wanting to go back to Egypt, they stayed in the desert.

For a year, the Israelites peacefully camped at the base of Mt. Sinai. That first year of freedom was a year of being in-between; in-between slavery and the Promised Land.

A year of learning to put first things first.

They learned how to trust in the provision of God’s manna, keep the Sabbath, and to live in community with one another as God’s people, set apart and holy. They established God’s holy Tabernacle as the center of their existence. Putting these first things first created a cohesive nation and established their relationship with God.

During this year of in-between, the Israelites did not need an army. God protected them from their enemies. Now, the time had come for them to inhabit Canaan. This meant they would encounter the enemies God told them about. God promised to go ahead of them, but He also told them they would need to fight.

The command to stand up their army came after the year of in-between.

Camping out in the land of in-between is not something that comes naturally for most of us. When we are called out of Egypt to our own promised land, we want to get there. Move on in and inhabit the place. We’ll charge on ahead, thinking we are ready for battle. Very rarely do we willingly camp in the desert.

The land of in-between is our time to get to know God. It is our time to put first things first. Learn to trust in His provision, get established into a strong community of faith, learn what it means to live set apart and holy, establish our hearts as God’s Tabernacle and center our lives around God. Only then will we be equipped to do battle on the way to and in our promised land.

I am arrested by this today. I am a doer. I like action plans. I like battle plans. I like to get moving toward the end goal. I am not very good at spending time in-between putting first things first. Which is why I experience so much frustration in actually claiming my promised land.

The in-between time is important. We can’t rush it. The Lord wants to reveal things about Himself here. Truths we need to know that will grow our relationship with Him and prepare us for the battle to take our next promised land.

The funny thing about the land of in-between is that we will come here more than once as we move through different seasons in our lives. I have been in-between friends because of family moves, in-between jobs, in-between being a mom of kids at home and kids moved out, in-between leading and not leading, in-between being a newlywed and living in a great marriage.

In each in-between time, I have learned new and personally specific things about God that I needed to know in order to be successfully prepared for battle as I moved toward claiming my promised land. I have learned how to let God handle my loneliness, how to find God in the hard places of marriage, how to wait for God, and how to let God guide. I have learned to let my heart be God’s dwelling place. When I have been smart enough to put first things first and stay camped in the desert, I have come to know God more.

This is what He wants for us. To know Him more. Then we’ll be prepared for battle.

Are you in-between? Maybe you know what lies ahead but are frustrated by how long it’s taking to get there. Put first things first. Be willing to camp in the desert. Ask God what He wants to show you or teach you that will equip you to do battle. Let God grow your relationship with Him and prepare you to fully claim your promised land.