Let me set the scene, the Israelites (possibly numbering more than 2 million at this point in time) have been driven from Egypt after the ten plagues and they’ve entered the wilderness and have no idea where they are going. God knows the weakness of the people, so He is taking them the long way about to avoid conflict with the Philistines. But the people essentially have no idea where they are going.
God knows where they are going. God has a plan. He’s had a plan. He’s known since Abraham where He was going to bring this people. But the Israelites—they don’t know where they are heading. They know they are heading to the land promised to Jacob. But they don’t know the way and they certainly don’t know the plan.
God comes to them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He goes before them and they are left to follow the cloud or the fire, depending on the time of day. God doesn’t give Moses a map—He gives them Himself as a guide.
Day by day, moment by moment, the people just have to look to God and go where He leads. They have to match His movement and His timing. They can’t see the plan—but they can see Him.
In my life, I’m so often looking for the plan. I want a map. I want to know where I’m going and how I plan to get there. Maybe it is personality, but I think it is human nature in large part. I want to know what God wants me to do, not in a “right now” sense, but in a planned way.
I even find myself looking back on where He has led me and the things He has brought me through and try to figure out how that is fitting into some big picture. Sometimes it fits, sometimes He’s led me to do things that make no sense to where I am. But even in looking back, I’m trying to figure out the plan. Where on earth (or heaven) is He bring me?
That’s just not how God leads us. Honestly, it is probably for the best. The wilderness may be necessary to build up strength, grit, and faith to face the giants that unknowingly lay before us. If we saw the giants before we went through what we’ll need to go through, could we take that step to start?
God is calling us, not to look for the plan, but to look to Him. He is calling each of us to follow his movements and timing moment by moment. He is calling us to trust that He will fight for us (Exodus 14:14), we just need to follow Him. We may not see the point or the plan, but we will get a glimpse of something even better- Him.
Other Posts You Might Like:
Bibles for Your Journey
- CSB Notetaking Bible
- NLT Wide Margin Bible
- NASB Notetaking Bible
- CSB Lifeway Women’s Bible
- ESV Study Bible
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