The God of light not only guides us; He fights for us too.
As I was recently reading through the Exodus of Israel account, I noticed that God stayed ahead of the Israelites and they followed Him. “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.” Exodus 13:21
Isn’t that interesting that God didn’t push them or force them along their journey? Nope. He stayed ahead of them and beckoned them to follow. Not only that, He went out of His way to make sure they could see Him at all times, even in darkness.
What does that tell us about the character of our God?
Skip ahead to Jesus. He is known as the, “Good Shepherd.” Shepherds also call not herd or push. They call to the sheep who know their voice and they follow.
As I was appreciating the fact that God was leading His people to safety, the Egyptians came on in strong pursuit. The Israelites were terrified. But, God gave Moses instructions to raise his staff to divide the sea.
“Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.” Exodus 14:19-20
God got in between. He got between the Israelites and those which sought to harm them. He shed light on His own people while leaving their enemies in darkness.
What does that tell us about the character of God?
Skip ahead to Jesus. He intervened too. He got between all of humanity and sin. He took on all of our sin and death. His intervention guarantees eternal life for those of us who accept Him. He was willing to get in between us and the one who seeks to harm us.
Just like God provided light for the Israelites on that fateful night, Jesus provides everlasting light to those of us who believe. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12b
Here we see that word follow again.
So, what can we learn from these Old Testament and New Testament readings telling of events over fifteen hundred years apart?
The love of God for His people never changes. He guides us. He wants us to follow. He fights for us when we are pursued by evil of some sort. He loves us so much that He sent His son to get in between us and sin for good. We all matter to Him.
So, whatever may be pursuing you today, self-doubt, pain, anger, financial woes, addiction, whatever it may be, keep in mind that when you worship the God who parted the Red Sea, the God who gently guides you, the God who provides light in the darkness and intervenes for His people, you will overcome.
Maybe you needed reminding.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂