I think, sometimes, I use God like a flashlight.
The flashlights in my house are always there…somewhere…bringing a measure of comfort when I happen to think about them.
In fact, I don’t normally think about my flashlights on a daily basis.
No, it’s not until the electricity shuts off in a storm…always at night, somehow…and my husband and I suddenly run around, looking for those darned flashlights.
Similarly, in urgent and confusing moments, we reach out in fear, grasping for God.
But, God is not a flashlight. He is a Pillar of Fire.
What on earth am I talking about? Its in Exodus 13: 21, 22:
” 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.”
(c) Bristol Museum and Art Gallery; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
Between the famous Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt and the even more famous crossing of the Red Sea, we find this passage about God’s ever-present Pillar of Fire. What an adrenalin rush to finally be led out of hundreds of years of captivity! But then, suddenly, out there in the wilderness, the people surely must have taken pause. What now??? What next???
It is in this uncertainty that the Israelites could trust God’s ever-present Light. The Israelites did not know what was coming next, but they did know God was “here”. Don’t you want to see God “here” every step of the way? In between the amazing acts of God in our lives, there is always waiting. Always a little hesitancy about what on earth God has in mind. The Pillar of Fire teaches us a great deal about God and how magnificently “present” He really is.
1. God Goes Before Us
Think of it! The Sovereign God of the Universe. Infinitely Holy. Completely Good. Terribly Awesome. Goes before you.
The people of Israel followed that Pillar around through the wilderness without a clue what God had planned or where they were really going.
They had just two things: a promise of a new land and a pillar.
But the Israelites knew that, if the pillar moved, then God had a place in mind. A plan just around the corner. A new camp with everything they would need being prepared when the Great Pillar finally rested. It may seem like such an unstable life, but I can’t think of anything more stable than total, complete reliance on the Lord.
You might not have a plan right now. But, I promise you, God has the next place in mind and is leading you there. You may not know what the day brings, but each morning you can cry out in confidence, “I do not know what is going on, but I invite You in today. LORD, I don’t plead for direction, only for complete satisfaction in Your constant Presence. When its time to move. Move me.”
2. God Wants Surrender
God as a Pillar of Fire teaches us something else. Before the great things I dream of accomplishing, before anything I DO for God…there is only complete and utter surrender of my life and will to Him.
You see, the Israelites did not know Jehovah. In Exodus 3:13, Moses says,
“If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’”
God was only a rumor, a whisper, a lullaby of hope sung by weary mothers to innocent children enslaved for hundreds of years by Egyptian rule. After Jehovah rescued His people, it was suddenly just Him and His children, for the first time in a long time. That Pillar of Fire taught the People of Israel their first lesson in a relationship with God. Surrender.
Shouldn’t that be our first lesson, too?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5,6)
3. God Fights For Us
In Exodus 14, we witness the historic and miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. The Egyptians were closing in fast. The terrifying warriors of Pharaoh, with their chariots, horses and weapons struck fear into the hearts of God’s people. The Israelites prepare to meet their utter demise, when an amazing thing happens…
“Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of 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 the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.” (14:19,20)
In their most terrifying moment, the Israelite’s Pillar charged toward their enemy and protected them. In the same way, Our Pillar of Fire does not just go before us, He has our back.
Take heart, my friend. The God you serve is not a flashlight. Invisible most of the time, until your most dire moment. God is a Pillar of Fire. Always guiding, always worthy of our trust, and always fighting for us.
Sara, well said! What a beautiful and thoughtful post. I have always loved the pillar of fire and the smoke, I love imagining it and thinking about people following them. Our “pillar” now is God’s word which is where we learn how to, as say, lean on him and trust him.