Guides Above and Within

Scripture: Exodus 13:21 – “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.” (NRSVUE)

As I Christian, I often focus on the power of the Gospel story. Jesus’ incarnation, wisdom, compassion, crucifixion, and resurrection are the guiding principles of my life, and assure me that transformation towards becoming the person God has called me to be is possible. As such, I sometimes overlook another important story of transformation in the Bible, the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness from Exodus to Deuteronomy.

One thing that I find especially fascinating about this story is how completely clueless and stubborn the Israelites tend to be. They spend much of their time complaining about how they have no water, no food, and that God probably called them out from slavery to kill them. They revere God only out of threat of destruction, regularly plot and rebel against Moses, and once Moses is out of sight, build idols for themselves. The Israelites are so stubborn that the reason the journey takes forty years is because God is waiting for the old generation to die off before those born in the wilderness inherit the Promised Land.

Why is this story so frustrating? Because God is right there in front of them! This is more than just the evidence of divine miracles like parting the Red Sea or raining bread from heaven. God is always with the people in their journey. During the day, the Lord goes before them as a pillar of cloud to guide the way. At night, the Lord takes the form of a pillar of fire, so they always have light. There is no time when they cannot look up and find that God is literally going before them on their journey.

And despite the irrefutable evidence of God’s presence and love, they still fall into error and cruelty. How many people today long for such a clear vision of God? We might hope that were God shining above, we would avoid the violence, division, greed, and selfishness that tear apart our communities and our planet. It would be nice if at the times when we needed to make an important decision, we could clearly see which direction God wanted us to go.

But the stories in those early Bible books reminds us that even if we did have those guides, we would likely fall into error anyway. What we need as people of faith is not an outer sign, but an inner one. Through reading the Bible, praying, and cultivating habits of righteousness, we can become our own guides through life. After all, we can always close our eyes or keep our head down to ignore God. That is harder when we sense God’s love beating in time with our heart within us.

The Bible says that the pillars of cloud and fire disappeared once the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, but I think they are with us still, if we look up from our all too human ways and recognize that something bigger and better is calling us onward. Take the time to look within yourself and beyond yourself and you will find that God is indeed guiding you toward a bright future.

Prayer: Guide me, O Great Lord. Through my devotion to you, lead me to a place of joy and justice for me and for all whom you love. Amen.

Image credit: Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg