And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people (Exodus 13:21-22).
THEME
GUIDANCE
In Ruth Ainsworth's retelling of THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN, "he put his pipe to his lips . . . and from every door the children ran. Boys and girls, big and little, all followed the piper . . . to live in a land where everything was better and brighter. . . The fruit would be sweeter, the flowers would be gayer, and even the sparrows would be as bright as peacocks."
Although Israel followed a cloud by day and a fire by night on their journey to a land flowing with milk and honey, their story is no fairy tale; it is an account of real people and a loving God who guided them through four decades of desert wanderings.
The forty-year pilgrimage began when God paved a high and dry freeway through the Red Sea and then closed it up again before His enemies could use it. Israel packed no picnic lunches; God provided first-class dining daily.
But He not only gave His children fine food, He taught them how to live and worship. Unfortunately, they spurned His loving leadership. Rejecting His good guidance, most of them died in the barren land--over one million of them.
But God is not driving the lead car in a funeral procession; He points the way to life.
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MAR 18
JOSHUA 1:1-9
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go
(Psalm 32:8).
An old sailor repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it. The next time he went out in his boat, he followed their advice and took the compass with him. But as usual he became hopelessly confused and couldn't find land. "Why didn't you use that compass we gave you?" his friends asked after rescuing him again. "You could have saved us a lot of trouble!" The sailor responded, "I didn't dare to! I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept on pointing southeast." That old sailor was so certain he knew which way was north that he stubbornly tried to force his own personal persuasion on his compass. Unable to do so, he tossed it aside as worthless and failed to benefit from its guidance.
The Israelites did much the same thing after God engineered their release from Egyptian captivity. Because they foolishly refused to believe God, they spent forty years making a journey that should have taken a few days.
The psalmist promised that God would instruct us and teach us in the way we should go. He will spare those who follow His instructions and warnings from the waste of foolish wandering and the heartache of shipwreck and ruin. When we ask God to point the way, we must be sure to trust the compass of His Word.
--R.W.D.
When you pray for God's guidance, don't complain when it is different from your preferred direction.
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MAR 19
EXODUS 15:22-27
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters (Psalm 23:2).
A humble Christian, when beset by a tremendous trial, misquoted Scripture but found great comfort in it. He said, "I'm so glad the Bible tells us, 'It came to pass' and not 'It came to stay.'" Those particular words do not speak of the temporal nature of difficulties, but in other places the Bible clearly teaches that God will see us through our trials. Life is not all hardship. If it were, discouragement would overwhelm us and we would give up.
In Exodus 15 we read that the children of Israel tasted the bitter waters of Marah. But then God led them to Elim where they enjoyed wells of sweet water and the coolness of sheltering palms. The people knew that both stops were by God's direction. His "glory cloud" hovered over them to point the way. When it moved, the Israelites moved; when it stopped, they stopped. That cloud clearly marked both Marah and Elim.
Whenever God leads us to a campsite at Marah, where we experience bitterness, sorrow, or disappointment, we must keep in mind that we will one day drink the sweet water of Elim's wells and feel the refreshing shade of its palms. God's comfort will surely come--both on earth and in heaven. And when we are enjoying the encouragement of Elim, we should rejoice, knowing that God is strengthening us for the rest of the journey.
--P.R.V.
In every desert of calamity, God has an oasis of comfort.
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MAR 20
PSALM 119:105-112
Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).
If you have ever carried a lantern on a dark road at night, you know that you cannot see more than one step ahead of you. But as you take that one step, the lamp moves forward, making the next step plain. You reach your destination safely without once walking in darkness. You have light the entire way, even though it is only enough for one step at a time.
Many Christians who have walked with the Lord for a long time say that this is the way He has led them, and they are assured of reaching their destination. But some travelers become upset when the dark curtain of the unknown veils their pathway. The prospect of lurking dangers, possible pitfalls, and tragic missteps causes them to lose the peace and confidence that the Lord intends for them to enjoy.
The writer of Proverbs said, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. . . . In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (3:5-6). And David recorded this promise, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye" (Ps. 32:8).
As we refuse to worry about the "tomorrows" and begin to trust God for the "todays," we can find grace and guidance for each step of the way. We don't need to see beyond what God shows us today. When we follow His leading, we have enough light for each step of the way. It is wonderful to be directed by Him.
--R.W.D.
Hold firm the lantern of truth and it will guide you aright.
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MAR 21
PROVERBS 3:1-10
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths
(Proverbs 3:6).
Many Christians equate God's leading with an overriding feeling or an inner impression. These strong inclinations, however, are not necessarily proof of God's direction. John Hibben, former president of Princeton University, once invited a guest to dinner. Mr. Buchman, an eccentric believer in divine guidance, arrived late and brought along three uninvited guests. When Buchman shook hands with Mrs. Hibben, he said, "The Lord told me to bring these three other men to dinner, too." Mrs. Hibben, not expecting added company, replied, "Oh, I don't think the Lord had anything to do with it." "Why not?" retorted Buchman. "Because," responded Mrs. Hibben, "God is a gentleman." Mrs. Hibben knew something about God and His ways that Buchman had overlooked.
This exchange raises an important question about the primary source for divine guidance. Strong impressions will come to us, but we must always test them to be sure they are in line with God's revealed will. They must never run contrary to what is true and right. Studying Scripture passages in their context gives us discernment, and meditating on them helps us to evaluate our feelings honestly. In his book KNOWING GOD, J. I. Packer cautions, "Feelings with an ego-boosting, or escapist, or self-indulging, or self-aggrandizing base must be detected and discredited, not mistaken for guidance."
That's good counsel--especially since we have a lamp for our feet, and a light for our path.
--D.J.D.
Feelings are no substitute for facts and faith.
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MAR 22
HEBREWS 11:32-12:2
Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2).
In THE COMPLETE DISCIPLE, Paul W. Powell describes a picture of a rugged wagon train painted by a famous artist of the American West. It is night, and the wagons have been drawn into a circle for protection. The men are gathered around the campfire, and the wagonmaster has a map spread out before him. On the map a heavy black line traces the zigzag course they have followed. They had swung north a little, then south, but always toward the west. An argument seems to have erupted about which way to go next. But the leader, with weary determination, has placed one finger on the end of the black line. With his other arm he is pointing toward the shadowy mountains. He seems to be saying, "We may have to go south around a mountain, or north across a river, but our direction will always be west."
Every Christian should have a similar resolve. Running the Christian race is not always easy. High mountains may stand in our way as we continue on the course God has marked out. Difficult circumstances and temptations may cause us to veer in one direction or another. But if we keep our eyes on the goal by "looking unto Jesus," we will not stray from the path He has outlined. As we stay true to the Lord, we will keep heading toward our goal.
And whenever distractions or temptations cause us to stray off course and lose our way, we can look again to Jesus, confess our sin, and He will help us to keep our eyes on the goal.
--D.C.E.
An obstacle cannot stop us if we keep our eyes on the goal.
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MAR 23
ECCLESIASTES 1:1-9
That which has been is what will be (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
All of us are bound to repeat ourselves as we go about our daily routines. We eat, sleep, work, and clean up. Then we do the same things again. When the cycle seems endless, we ask, what's the point of it all?
God, however, would have us view this another way. Repetition holds an important secret for the Christian. Part of God's plan for us is that we yield to His guidance in ordinary recurring events.
The world is like a stage on which the drama of eternity is unfolding. Like a great curtain, the sun rises and falls for every performance. And we, the actors, make a decision every time we "repeat our lines." Either we respond impatiently to the repetitious cues--just to get our part over with--or we use our role as an opportunity to get to know the mind and purpose of the Director. Sure, the circumstances are routine and we often feel that "we've been through it all before." But glad participation in redundant activities forms character, strengthens faith, increases hope, and develops endurance. Through the normal course of events, God says to us, "There is more to your earthly existence than the meaningless round of duties."
Repeatedly trusting the Lord is the surest way to make life routinely fresh.
--M.R.D.II
If life is a grind, use it to sharpen your character.
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MAR 24
PSALM 139:1-12
Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me
(Psalm 139:10).
In a brief Christmas address to the people of the British Empire in 1939, King George VI spoke of his faith in God's leading. World War II had begun, and Great Britain faced the onslaughts of Hitler's reckless military barrage. As the King spoke to the people on that Christmas day, he concluded his remarks with lines written by Minnie Louise Haskins some thirty years earlier: "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: 'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.' And he replied: 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.'"
Like Great Britain back in 1939, each of us faces a future whose trademark is change, overlaid, perhaps, with foreboding circumstances. But we need not fear. We have Someone to guide us even in the darkest night. That's why the psalmist could say, "Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me." God's presence enables the Christian to face tomorrow with complete confidence.
Life holds no surprises for God. No path is unknown to Him--no circumstance unsettling. Because the future is perfectly clear to our Father, Christians have the full assurance that we can follow where God leads, whether the way is marked by calm or storm.
We can confidently put our hand in God's, for He forgives the past, controls the present, and holds the future.
--P.R.V.
Those who see God's hand in everything can best leave everything in God's hand.
