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God's Direction (Exodus 13 & 14)

Scripture of the Day: Exodus 13:21-22 and Exodus 14:13-14

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.

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today...The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

This was one of those moments in reading the bible when I wished (only slightly) that I lived when the Israelites left Egypt. For some background, the verses above are from when the Israelites had just left Egypt, but before they got to the Red Sea.

Can you imagine how awesome it would be to have God literally guiding your every move...visually!? That is what he did here. By day he led the people by a cloud and at night in a fire. They didn't have to question what to do or where to go - the presence of God was visibly there! Incredible!

The kicker is, even with God right there with them, the people were afraid of Pharaoh...not trusting that their God could protect them. Moses response to the fear is also awesome, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Let's take that passage and apply it to 2013.

We don't have a cloud or a fire in front of us at all times. God doesn't literally guide our every move. How much easier would life be if He did? Darn free will. Hah! The verse is still applicable though - God will light your way through the light and the dark with resources he has given us. 1) The Bible 2) Prayer 3) Spiritual mentors 4) Circumstances. Note that the circumstances should be the last thing to guide you - seek the other three things first.

Just like the Israelites, we like to be in control. Take up our own destinies and have all the answers. The truth is, we simply do not have to be afraid...and we don't need to be in control. Sometimes to notice the Lord fighting for us we need to be still and get out of the way. God doesn't always show up in the fire...but in a whisper so we need to stand down to let him work. Our lives seem to go best when we try to live according to HIS plan according to HIS will for our lives...not when we try to live OUR plan, according to OUR will.

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father God, help our lives be led by your direction. Help us know the times when we need to stand firm, and the times we need to stand still and let You work. You don't show up in a literal fire in front of us, but through your Word, we know it's possible for you to still guide our lives. Thank you for caring enough to lead the way! We love you and in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.


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