I was studying this morning and decided to begin going through the Psalms again. I'm studying Romans, and that is quite a challenge...but from time to time I study the Psalms in addition to whatever else I am studying. The Lord reveals so many truths to me and gives me many revelations through the Psalms. I didn't get very far this morning before He began to teach me.
"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of The Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:1-2
So in the Bible Gateway app, it has a place where you can study Bible themes that relate to certain verses. So the theme I looked at this morning, was "the life of faith" which is the "way" in which we should "walk". Now when we look back at the verses, our instinct is to first look at what we shouldn't do, what we should stay away from, the wicked, the sinners, and the scoffers. I want to look around and see what and who I should stay away from, and I want to judge the wicked and the scoffers. And although it is important to be discerning, this morning, and really for quite a while now, The Lord has been showing me that what is more important for me right now, is to keep my eyes on Him! So in reading this morning and studying this theme of "walking in the way", and in looking at The Lords guidance in the way, I was taken to Exodus 13:21:
"And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night."
So I began to wonder, why did The Lord lead them by day and by night, and why a cloud and fire? Why not just lead them by day and let them rest at night? We all want to rest; I know I do. The Lord led them by a cloud and by fire, a cloud by day, and fire by night. I began to think about clouds and about fire. You cannot really "see" through either a cloud or a pillar of fire. They may seem scary because of what they represent (storms, destruction, intense heat, burning, things not being the same as they were before). But this is the essence of trusting The Lord. Going where you have not been before, with only Him leading, and you don't always understand Him or His ways. But He goes before us, preparing the way, showing us the way we should go, and we must trust Him.
So why did they travel by day and by night? By day, they would have been able to see what was going on all around them (the world). They might have even been tempted to stop, turn around, or go a different way that might have looked easier or more familiar. They had to trust, that although the other ways might look familiar or good (pleasing), that The Lords way was the best way. Daytime could represent times of ease, nighttime could be times of trouble or trials. His guidance may appear different depending on whether we are at ease or going through a trial. Nevertheless, His guidance is still there. He is still there. We must believe in, and look to His word. We must follow His way. He has shown us the way to go through His word and through the life of Jesus. How we act, what we choose during these times, day and night, ease and trial, tests our faith and shows us, and others, whether or not we are truly Christ followers, whether or not our faith is true. We must humble ourselves. We do not know the way, only He does.
"...and The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way."
As Christians we know "the way" is to follow Christ. He set an example for us while He walked on the earth. His way, is not the way of the world. It is so different than what we see going on all around us. We must choose to follow The Lord, leading us by the cloud, which is dense and hard to understand; it seems hazy compared to what may seem "clear" and "easy" all around us. We must trust, and follow Him, follow His way. The Isarelites in Exodus 13 had the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire that led them, we have Jesus, He is our light.
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
It is so tempting to look around and see what others are doing, compare our walk to theirs, condemn their choices, take a stand on this issue or that issue, on this doctrine or that doctrine, but we must keep our eyes on the One who leads the Way. The enemy wants us to look at others, to judge others, to say "I'm not that bad, just look at her" or "I am right, they are wrong". But we must keep our eyes upon The Lord Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith, the One who walked here, and was tempted as we are, but who never sinned, and bore the wrath of God in our place. We must compare ourselves only to Him. Then, we will see our sin and our imperfections, and repent and seek to be perfected by Him. He is the cloud and the fire, the Light that leads the Way. Don't look around. Only look at Him!
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