"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 night. Neither the pillar of cloud
by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the
people." Exodus 13:21-22 | NIV
It is remarkable to see how in two verses, God shows us something
that the entire welfare of the people of Israel depended on for the
entire scope of their pilgrimage in the wilderness. By day and by night,
God took responsibility for guiding the people, not leaving this to
them. So, for the period of forty years in the wilderness, the pillar of
cloud and of fire never failed to show up. This ensured their safety in
the wilderness. But more than securing their safety, it ensured that
the people went only in the direction dictated by God.
Our walk in this world can be likened to the Israelites' journey
through the wilderness and as they needed to be guided in every step
that they took by God, so we too need to be guided, if our walk in
Christ is to be successful. In fact, God does not even imagine the
possibility of ever taking one step in Christ apart from His guidance,
and He has lavishly made provision for such guidance for everyone who is
in Christ by the giving of the Holy Spirit. In John 16, Jesus assures
us that when the Spirit comes, He will guide us into all truth and
elsewhere in the same book of John, Jesus made known that the Spirit
will not only be with us but will live in us.
Seeing then that we have such a Guide living in us, we must make
every diligence to learn how to follow His leading and leadership, since
our vitality in Christ depends entirely on this.
Toni
