Mensa Otabil - The Lord Goes Before Us
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I trust that you are now flowing in the Spirit and engaging with the prayer and fasting to experience God’s presence. Well, this week we’ll be looking at God’s guidance. We’ve examined different factors that affect the way God guides us and how we must respond. We conclude our study on guidance from Exodus chapter 13:21. «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.»
God goes before us, and that is one very important aspect of guidance: the Lord takes the lead, and we follow. When we want God to guide us, we must not lead ourselves and then try to get God to follow us. Many times, we just decide to do something and then pray for confirmation, asking God to confirm what we’re doing. If we want God to lead us, we must first allow Him to lead while we follow. That’s how God led the children of Israel in the wilderness by the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud; He led them, and they followed Him.
The passage states that He led them by day and by night. During the day, He led with a pillar of cloud. What does daytime mean? Daytime is when you see clearly; you don’t need light in the daytime. When we are in the daytime, it means that everything is clear. There are times in the Bible when God has made His will clear. We don’t even need God to guide us; His word is clear. His word says, «You shall not commit adultery.» You don’t ask God, «Should I commit or not commit adultery?» «You shall not kill.»
You shall not lie. You don’t pray, «Oh Lord, I want to kill; should I do it?» No. It’s by day; His word is clear on that matter. His word is clear on many things: that we should pray, that we should study the Bible, and that we should live holy lives. You don’t pray to God for guidance on these matters; in these matters, He leads us in the day. His will is clear, and when His will is clear, we don’t ask for light; we just follow.
But He also leads us in the night. What does the night represent? The night is when you don’t see clearly, and that’s why there is the pillar of fire. The pillar of fire provides light in the night. There are situations in our lives where we don’t have a Bible verse to point to. «Whom should I marry? Should I marry A or B?» You can’t find a Bible verse to speak to that. «Somebody wants to give me an investment; should I do it or not?»
There’s no Bible verse to tell you that. Although the Bible provides general rules about marriage and how to handle finances, it doesn’t tell us specifically whether we should work with Brother John or Sister Mary. It doesn’t provide that kind of guidance. In those situations, you can say you are in the dark; you don’t see clearly, and you don’t really know your way. That’s where you have the pillar of fire. God guides us and sheds light in those areas. Many times, when we are making decisions and can’t find a Bible verse to address it directly, we ask God for light. The light He provides is His Holy Spirit guiding us, leading us, nudging us this way and that, and directing our path. When He leads, we follow.
So, you shouldn’t just go and make your decision and then ask God to follow your decision. People do that a lot in marriage. They’ve already fallen in love, decided whom they want, and then ask the Lord, «Is it Your will?» What do you want God to say? You’ve already decided. If you want to have light in the dark, let the Lord lead, and you will follow. In areas where we don’t see clearly, God’s Holy Spirit will illuminate our paths.
Let 's pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, You are my guide. Light my path with Your Spirit. Lead the way, and I will follow. In Jesus' name, Amen.»