Reflecting the Image

Scripture:

Exodus 13:21–22

21 The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. (NRSVUE)

Observation:

As the children of Israel made their way through the wilderness, the Lord was with them. In a very visible and tangible way, the people could see the presence of the Lord going in front of them and leading them along the way.

To remain visible, the Lord provided a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. There, in front of the people, leading them no matter the time of day, the Lord remained faithful. At this point in their journey, the pillar never left its place in front of the people. God was already ahead of them, showing them the way.

Application:

Have you ever wondered where God is? Maybe we have expectations of where we ought to see the hand of God at work, or where we ought to experience the presence of the Lord, and we become disappointed because He doesn’t seem to be where we want Him to be.

God is still out front.

God is still working in the world, and the stream of the Holy Spirit draws us toward His activity. The problem is that we don’t always want to get into the stream. Some people sit on the sidelines, pull up a nice folding chair with the drink holders, pop open a soda, and watch the stream. They certainly don’t want to get their feet wet, so they just watch. Eventually they may begin to murmur:

“I wonder where God is?”

“Why can’t I see God at work?”

“Is God still working these days?”

The reality is that God has not stopped working simply because we cannot see what God is doing. There are seasons when even faithful people struggle to see or understand the activity of God. But sometimes the problem is that we have become spectators when God is inviting us to participate. We have allowed ourselves to become comfortable on the sidelines, and our view of what God is doing may be blocked.

If you’re wondering today where God is at work, maybe it’s time to get out of the folding chair, step into the water, and watch where the stream is going. We begin to see things differently when we move from being spectators to active participants. The stream is already flowing. We don’t create it, and we don’t determine its direction. We step in and discover where it is taking us.

The children of Israel didn’t create the pillar of cloud or the pillar of fire. Their responsibility was to watch and follow. The Lord was already in front of them, leading the way.

God is still out front.

May we have the courage to follow.

Prayer:

Lord, what a great comfort to know that You are always with us. Help me to stay as close to You as possible and not to live in fear on the sidelines. Give me the courage to step into the stream and participate in what You are already doing. May Your Spirit continue to lead by day and by night. Amen.