After God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt, He led them through the wilderness by a cloud by day and fire by night. When the cloud or the fire settled Israel pitched camp. The cloud and fire might remain in place for days or months at a time. There were other times when they moved after just one day. Each time those moved Israel packed up camp and moved with them.
God has never directed my steps with a cloud or fire. Discerning His path has been challenging at times. I was tempted to wish that God sent a cloud and fire so I would know which direction to go. He reminded me this morning that I have been given His word and the Holy Spirit to guide my steps.
Ps 119:105 reminds us that His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. This really hit home for me a couple of years ago when I got invited to preach a youth camp in the mountains of New Mexico. The path from where I preached back to my cabin followed a stream to a narrow bridge where I crossed a pond. Along the trail I had to navigate roots, holes, rocks, and of course the stream. Each night it was pitch black except for the stars overhead. The first night I forgot my flashlight. I stumbled trying to make my way back to our cabin. The following nights I had a little flashlight. It did not give off a great deal of light. It did illumine the path in front of me for a few steps. It was so much easier to navigate the trail back to my cabin with that light than without it.
God directs our paths with the light of His word. He brings certain verses in timely fashion to get us from where we are to where He wants us to be. When I look back over my life of following Jesus I see repeatedly how He used His word to guide me. At critical junctures certain passages came to me from different sources repeatedly. His word is like a cloud telling us when to move forward and when to wait. This may not mean that God's word will reveal the future for months and years ahead. He will give enough light for today. That is all we need is light for our path for this day.
We also have the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is interesting that one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit is fire. Many years ago a friend counseled me to let peace be my guide. What he meant is that when the path forward is unclear and you have decide which path to take at a fork, the Holy Spirit will give peace about one direction over another. His peace has helped Brenda and me make many critical choices over the past several decades. Some were seemingly inconsequential like giving to a need or choosing how to invest money. Other decisions had greater consequences like relocating to a new ministry. His peace has helped us in knowing how to counsel others in what we said or did not say. The Holy Spirit helped us navigate the trail of parenting one teenaged girl and four sons.
The word of God and the Holy Spirit are our cloud and fire. When we remain focused on them I am confident God can get us from where we are to where He want us to be. That might mean emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. God still guides His people. When He moves we are supposed to follow. When He stops we are to stop. In this way we will always keep in step with God.
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