ON THE VANGUARD

I WILL FOLLOW
"After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 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."
Exodus 13:20-22

I normally sleep with the radio on throughout the night, and last night was no exception. The sound of worship music or Christian radio has a soothing effect on me and seems to paint a sense of peace within the room. So as the alarm going off this morning, I stirred to the song, I Will Follow, by Chris Tomlin. The chorus goes:

Where You go, I’ll go / where You stay, I’ll stay
When You move, I’ll move / I will follow

When I heard these words, my first thought was of the fire and cloud that the people of Israel followed while in the desert. After Moses had brought the people out of Egypt and they began their journey to the Promised Land, God chose to make the way clear. The people followed Moses in the direction he took them. Granted sometimes happily and sometimes grumbling, the Israelites nevertheless they did reach their destination. But God chose to give a sign that no one could mistake. I say this because roads are always being added these days. Subdivisions are being built, access roads are created, and life is always changing. But so there was no mistaking His path, God provided a cloud during the day and a fire at night. He provided for the Israelites and all those who watched them a clear sign of guidance.
I was reading last night in the book, The Torah Blessing, by Larry Huch, a chapter on the Jewish festival of Sukkot. He was giving wisdom concerning the way that the sukkah, or temporary booth, was to be built. He explained that the sukkah was meant to be lightweight, easy to carry, and able to be taken down at the drop of a hat. The roof of the sukkah was to be semi-covered, leaving slats in the materials wide enough so that the people could look up at any time to see the cloud or fire. As the cloud and fire were the GPS for the people of Israel, the people had to keep an eye out for any move these two made. As God led, the people followed.
I know in my own life I have times when I wonder if I am on the right road. I make a decision and hope I have made the right one. For example, a few years back I started grad school. After a few online sessions I stopped. I don't know if the right decision was to stop, or to even go in the first place. But I do know this, that in the whole process I had God's peace and I saw His provision. Maybe in some brief way that is what the Israelites felt also. They knew they were coming out of slavery. They knew that God was leading them into their land and they would have to take it by force. Yet God was with them. The cloud and the fire were a representation that they were in His hands. This ability to follow, to move, and to stay waiting for His hand is exactly the GPS that I want. My prayer is just that. May I follow God’s leading.