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.

You Sit Still. He Will Not Rest

Ruth 3
18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out; for the man will not rest until he finishes the matter today.

“Sit still, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out”

  • Boaz also told her not to fear/fret (v11-13). Like Ruth we are told to have faith and trust in our Redeemers work. We also are often reminded to sit still and watch to see how The Lord will bring things about.
  • The waiting time can often seem so hard for the flesh. We can be so impatient! We have such a selfish, sensual need for control and gratification that we lose sight of the incredible, miraculous and free provision that is being given to us. We lose sight of the “rewarder of the reward” (Hebrews 11:26)
  • Psalm 46:10 Let be and be still, and know (recognise and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!
  • Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
  • When we have cried out to The Lord and brought our petition before Him then we ought to have the faith to believe that He “will do for you all you require”. This is faith!! This is dependence. This is to rest in Him and to cast yourself upon His goodness and His provision. Ruth could go about her day with joy and contentment knowing that all was being done on her behalf. She could rest and sit still, without fear or worry because her redeemer was doing all that was required.

“for the man will not rest until he finishes the matter today.”

  • We underestimate how carefully and diligently the man (Jesus) will work to accomplish not our desire but His! This is such a precious truth that we often take for granted or under appreciate! Boaz was not working in a sensual sense merely to satisfy Ruth. Boaz was eager to fulfil his own, selfless desire to provide and to care of both Ruth, Naomi and the household of Elimelech!
  • Psalm 121:4 Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
  • Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.
  • Our Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, Father and Shepherd will not rest until He has accomplished all that will glorify Him in our lives! He will not rest until we are at rest!
  • Let us not lose sight of our Saviour’s desire for us. How He longs for us, how His whole heart is longing to intimately commune with us. May we rest in great peace and joy knowing all that our Lord is doing on our behalf and all that He desires for us. He has plans to prosper us and do us good and He will be faithful to complete all those plans and to bring us to a beautiful and expected end!

Only A Little To Offer

John 6
9 There is a little boy here, who has [with him] five barley loaves, and two small fish; but what are they among so many people?

Matthew 14
18 He said, Bring them here to Me.
…
21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

  • A little boy, gave a little gift. No one knows his name. No one knows his life story or his testimony. He was just a little boy with just a little to give.
  • His gift was not praised or appreciated. What he had to give was questioned and looked upon as useless/hopeless. Even by Jesus’ chosen disciples.
  • It is really not important who gave, it is not important what his gift was but it is of utmost importance who it is given to!! He gave his little to Jesus! He gave it all to The Lord.
  • We don’t need to over romanticise his gift either. He did not give all his earthly possessions, we don’t know if he even gave all his food for the day… He gave a packed lunch. He simply gave what he had in his hand. But he gave it all and without reservation or condition.
  • No one knows the name of the little boy with the despised little gift… But we rejoice and glory still today in the testimony of abundance that Jesus created with the little that was given into His hands!

Exodus 4
2 And the Lord said to him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod.
…
17 And you shall take this rod in your hand with which you shall work the signs [that prove I sent you].

  • Oh may we give our little to The Lord, without reservation or condition, without desire for recognition or glory, and may we refuse to doubt what God can accomplish if we would be faithful to give our little things, just whatever we have, to The Lord Jesus Christ! In our hands it is indeed a small and useless little thing but in the hands of The Living God it will be a precious testimony to His glory! 

The Little Things

Luke 16
10 Who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much…

  • The very little things. They’re so little. Things that seem unimportant, things that are so menial, boring and basic. They are little things. So little we often miss them, we forget them or we hide them away. We may find them tiring or inconvenient. However, it is these little things that make up the mighty work and testimony of God in a believer.

James 4
14 … What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].

  • Let us be found faithful with the little lives that we have. May we never lose the joy of simply having the opportunity to faithfully serve The Lord. No matter the outcome, it is a joy and precious privilege that He would entrust us with His mina, His life, His word and His Spirit! Continue in well doing. Hide yourself in the secret place of His presence. Stay faithful in the little for little is much when God is in it.
  • Oswald Chambers: My personal life may be crowded with small petty incidents, altogether unnoticeable and mean, but if I obey Jesus Christ in the haphazard circumstances, they become pinholes through which I see the face of God, and when I stand face to face with God I shall discover that through my obedience thousands were blessed.
  • The world observes God in the greater works but it is in the little things that we can know Him.

    The Requirement Is Faithfulness

    1 Corinthians 4
    2 Moreover, it is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful.

    • Faithfulness is synonymous with love. In fact James could easily have written “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so love [faith] without works is dead also.” (James 2:26) Or Paul could have written faithfulness “endures long and is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4). We cannot merely claim to be faithful, in the same way that we cannot simply claim to love. There is a proving in the course of time by our actions. In the small, unnoticed, unappreciated, taken for granted actions that we do daily. In the long suffering, in the enduring, in the weathering and abiding, in the preferring of others and the denying of self.
    • Men are so quick to honour position. They love to praise the pastor or the preacher, the great evangelist, the worship leader or scholar. The flesh praises flesh for its achievements and success. (Matthew 23:8-10). Where man loves princes God desires paupers. Paupers that live completely and daily dependant upon [faithful to] His life and blessing.
    • Faithfulness isn’t found in the spotlight. It isn’t glamourous. It is not proved in dramatic events. Faithfulness is quiet, consistent, steadfast, dependable, busy about its business, committed and dedicated to the cause. It is often unnoticed and unseen by man. Faithfulness is menial to the flesh but mighty with The Lord!

    Luke 18
    8 However, when the Son of man comes, will he find faith [faithfulness] on the earth?

    • When Jesus Christ comes He will find an abundance of pastors, He will find so many glorified worship leaders, evangelists and leaders… But who can find a faithful man? God Himself asks the question ‘Will I find any who are simply remaining faithful to me?’. Oh may we learn to die daily, confess sin often, rejoice evermore and, in humility, live to serve consistent and diligent in the small things. May we be doing business with the mina that He has given us and be found to be good and faithful servants. (Luke 19:12-17) Simply abiding in His wonderful presence.
    • May we also be careful to let The Lord’s heart live through us to honour and reverence faithfulness in others over fleshly fame.

    2 Thessalonians 3
    13 And for you, brethren, do not become weary in [faithful] well doing…