 |
| Hubby called me to our back door to show me this wonderful sight. |
“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 that they could travel by day or
by night. Exodus 13: 21-22 (NIV)
As Sunday school class let out one Sunday, I made a note in
my memo book to think on God’s leading in our lives. As a part of the note I
included the phrases “pillar of cloud” and “pillar of fire.” We had touched on
how the Lord leads us through our lives.
”. . . the Lord went
ahead of them . . . .” When I hear people pray for other’s serious needs,
the phrase “Lord, please go before him or her as they go to their doctor
appointment.” I now understand the basis of this plea. God went ahead of the
Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness those four decades.
“. . . in a pillar of
cloud. . . “The Israelites had this sign. They could see the pillar in the
sky every day-all day long. However, we don’t always have a sign. We have to go
on our faith in God to see us through.
“ . .to guide them on
their way . . “God did not leave the Israelites to fend for themselves. He
led them through the wilderness. Yes, their behavior caused them to be in a
prolonged search for the land promised to them. But God was there watching over
them. God continues to watch over His children. The wreck we almost had last
week was confirmation that God had worked it out for Hubby to drive me to the
store. Had I been driving, I couldn’t have reacted as quickly as he did. We
would have had to wait on insurance estimates and gone through the hassle of
getting our car fixed.
“. . . by night in a
pillar of fire . . .” The Lord let His presence be known to the Israelites
even at night. I’m sure they found comfort in this. When we have difficult
issues we find comfort in knowing God is near. We never know the outcome of our trials but we
know God is right there with us as we go through them.
“. . . to give them
light. . .” God allowed the Israelites to see in the darkness. They could
see where they were going and steer away
from dangers as they wandered through the wilderness. The Lord does the
same thing for us. He gives us guidance through His word, answers to our
prayers, and speaking to our hearts.
I am so thankful for God's pillars of clouds and light throughout my life. He has used many different methods to steer me in the right direction. Sometimes I wasn't paying attention and went the wrong way anyway...so He sent another pillar of cloud or light to set me straight. So thankful that our God is not a God that only gives us one chance to get things right! We'd all really be up the creek without a paddle if He did. Thank you for that reminder today. Also, praise God for Him steering you correctly this past week and helping you to avoid a possible tragedy. It is good for us to recognize these special "signs" of God's protection and blessing throughout our days.
ReplyDeleteThank you again. Your words have been one of those signposts along the way for us today.
Thank you for your kind words. Special signs of God's protection are all around us. We can only recognize them when we are in tune with Him. A dear friend once told me, if we don't learn a lesson that God wants us to learn,we WILL have a remedial lesson. For me, it's sometimes been several lessons before things clicked into place.
DeleteI love this photo. It goes with the post so well. Thank you for highlighting these scriptures. I appreciate the encouragement!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Karen
Thank you for stopping in. Hubby called me to our back door to show me the scene. I decided I wanted to take a picture. Sometimes the only encouragement we receive it from God.
DeleteI'm so glad to read your thoughts on this, Cecelia. I'm learning how to listen to the Lord more and follow His leading, not just rely on my own thoughts or others' pressure. If we hide His word in our hearts, His voice becomes clearer.
ReplyDeleteJeanette:
DeleteAs we grow in Christ, we have some lessons to learn. The more we learn to rely on Him and His words, the more we grow like Him.
Our situations may appear dire, but when He's leading us, we're safe.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your insightful thought. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.
DeleteOh, I love this story. How I need His guidance!
ReplyDeleteRhonda:
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by. Where would we be without God's guidance? Where would we be if we chose not to follow His leading?