By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Exodus 13:20&21 NIV
I have always had a hard time relating to people in ancient times because life just seems like it had to be so much harder back then. Can you imagine? Can you imagine if you didn’t work, you literally would not eat. A simple scratch could result in infection and turn lethal. Invading people could come into your cities at night and kill you in your sleep. These are things we just don’t have to worry about now! But this week I was reading in my bible and for the first time I thought; maybe they had it easier back then! Let me explain…
I was reading about the Israelites, oh the Israelites, and their years spent wandering around in the desert. On the one hand I can relate to some of the things they complained about; for instance, I’d get sick of eating the same thing day and night for almost 40 years too! I would also get sick of the nomadic lifestyle as I’m sure many of us who are used to settling—buying or renting a home—would be. God would show up as a pillar of fire at night and cloud by day and while he dwelt over them, they were in the right place, they didn’t have to move. Then without notice, the cloud would move and they would have to break camp (sometimes in the middle of the night) and follow! They had to move as God moved and follow Him.
I know I wouldn’t like the moving in the middle of the night lifestyle either! Still, there would be the peace of knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you were always in God’s will. You could see it—wouldn’t that be nice? How many times in your life have you questioned if you’re truly in God’s will? Have you thought that you had it pretty right but been unsure? We don’t have a pillar to guide us and tell us that we are in His perfect will, but we do have the Bible.
I think oftentimes we might use our fear of uncertainty as a crutch—are we really unsure that we are supposed to leave that job and embark on a new career or are we just scared? Are we procrastinating about doing what he has called us to and pretending like we don’t know what He has told us to do? Or are we being lazy? The Israelites might have had a cloud to guide them but we have God’s word… but do we use it? How many times in your life when you are doing the things that God commands—spending time reading His word, going to church, and spending time in prayer, have you questioned what His will is for you? My guess is that the answer is pretty clear. I’d be willing to bet (from personal experience, I admit) that the times when you question His will isn’t when you are doing all the things, but when we are neglecting one of the areas of our spiritual life that we know we should be investing in more than we currently are. Yes, there are exceptions, but God’s will isn’t a Rubik’s cube that no one can figure out. (I personally believe that the stickers on the Rubik’s cube rearrange themselves at night so that it continually remains unsolvable.) Rather, God’s will is something He is happy to reveal to us as part of a relationship with Him.
Just like we get to know anyone by investing in getting to know them, so we get to know God and His will by investing in getting to know Him. Have you been spending time getting to know Him as a friend? Have you been using all the tools He has given us in an effort to figure out His will? If not, there may be a pillar of fire right in front of you that you are missing!
P.S
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