The Pillar Of Fire & Cloud

Exodus 13
21 The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.
22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

• Consider the daily dominating and thought consuming nature of that pillar. All day, every day the people maintained a vision of the power, authority and provision of God! Each day they walked with a conscious, tangible evidence of the presence of God, their Almighty Deliverer and Redeemer! They looked to Him, He saw to them. 
• With every ‘insignificant step’ they saw Him. His presence was undeniable as they walked, as they spoke to one another, as they cleaned, washed, prepared, worked… In every menial task they were conscious of His presence!
• Consider also how it would have been to witness this from a distance. What an incredible spectacle it would have been. They were the people following the pillar. They were a people marked by the presence of God. What a powerful, awe inspiring, fear inducing sight it must have been to behold. God’s people walking with the undeniable evidence of His presence and power.

1 John 1
7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another…

• What the Born Again believer has in Jesus Christ is immeasurably greater than the pillar! In every way! We have Christ within us! We have the indwelling of The Holy Spirit, God Himself living in communion and fellowship with His people, through His people.
• Should it not follow then that we walk with far greater consciousness of His presence? There ought to be far greater awareness of His power and leading in our lives than the children of Israel experienced. Culture and comfort have entered the church and are dulling our faith and “spiritual senses”. If we truly reverence Jesus Christ; if we truly believe that He is all that He says He is; if we truly believe that the sovereign, creator God dwells within us… Then we would live and walk with far greater evidence of His leading and glory.
• ⁠I write this to in order to lift our eyes and increase our faith. Let us contemplate who/what we are following. Do we live with a consciousness of Almighty God’s watchful eye? Do we live from moment to moment in His presence? Do we see The Lord in every circumstance? Every day they saw that Pillar, they followed it… Let us learn to cultivate an intimate, reverential walk with The Lord. We are so prone to distraction, this is always the daily fight in the flesh, to see Jesus with a Spiritual perspective and not this world with earthly eyes.