(Exodus 14:19)
God led the Israelites out of Egypt with a Mighty Hand, after several plagues.
They left Egypt in a haste at night when Pharaoh ordered them out of his Country.
God led them by a Pillar of Fire that night as they left Egypt. By the next morning, the Pillar of Fire was replaced by a Pillar of Cloud.
When God is leading you, there are no ASSUMPTIONS: you KNOW He is in control and is the One giving you DIRECTION.
Scripture says, “Your ears shall hear a Word behind you saying, this IS The Way: walk in it; whether you turn to the right hand or whether you turn to the left” -Isaiah 30:21.
There is no place for “Maybe God is trying to teach me…”
“Maybe God wants me to…”
“Maybe God is trying to say…”
With God, there is NO Ambiguity.
He Leads and Directs in a very clear and straightforward Way: if you miss it, it’s on YOU, not on God.
So, the Israelites left Egypt with a clear-cut plan of where they were going, they just had no idea how they would get there and how long it would take. But they had DIRECTION: The Pillars leading them IN FRONT!
When it moved, they moved, when it stopped, they stopped. (Numbers 9:17-23).
It should be so with us as Believers: we must learn to move when He moves and stop when He stops. We must learn NOT to jump the gun. If you read through the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, you will notice they fumbled many times, they dropped the ball very often but they NEVER moved when the Pillar did not move: they NEVER jumped the gun, they were never too much in a hurry for God.
If the Pillar stayed for a few days, they would camp there a few days. If the Pillar stayed a few weeks, they would stay a few weeks. If the Pillar stayed a few months, they would stay a few months. They were never in a hurry- they just moved at God’s pace, they never asked, “God, when?”
Now, at a certain point in their journey, the Pillar leading them in front moved away!
Why?
Because in THAT moment, their NEED changed from DIRECTION to PROTECTION! Leading them took a back seat: Defending them took priority, so the Pillar moved from their FRONT to their BACK.
Sometimes, God stops LEADING you to PROTECT you. He moves from DIRECTING you to PROTECTING you.
In such situations, you’re mostly unaware of what is going on. That is not the time to press the Panic Button and do what will jeopardize the entire process.
Just TRUST Him: He knows what He is doing: He ALWAYS does!
King Saul was once in that situation and he panicked: he was instructed to WAIT by Prophet Samuel. When the Prophet seemed to be taking longer than necessary, the King panicked and acted: he offered the sacrifice the Prophet was supposed to offer. That action officially ended King Saul’s reign as King over Israel -(1st Samuel 13: 7-14).
Panic is NEVER an option for a Believer, folks! If you can’t see the Pillar in front leading you for a while, DON’T PANIC: just WAIT where you are until clarity comes. It just may be behind you, defending you as it was with the Israelites.
Trust that the God that started the process will see it through: He doesn’t abandon half-way, He doesn’t leave you helpless: God has the Capacity to save to the uppermost (Hebrews 7:25)!
Shalom,
Haruna Daniels