Author’s note: For much of my life I look back and ultimately found myself desperately far from the will of God, this affected every aspect of my life. Not understanding the will of God makes for an impotent, if not destructive, prayer life and one likely a spring pad for idolatrous, self-righteous behavior.
Through a faithful dedication to better understand the Lord’s expectation for my life I made the decision to seek His will by reading the Scriptures daily and frequently. Especially in this day and age, when we run the gauntlet of every worldly distraction with its deadly intent to succumb to temptation, each of us needs to seek, holiness and righteousness through God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
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IN THE WILDERNESS YOU NEED A GUIDE
20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. 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. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
-Exodus (20-22)
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What lessons can a practicing Christian learn from the Israelites living in the desert wilderness for a generation?
It wasn’t long before that the nation of Israel, the descendants of Jacob and his sons, who had been miraculously liberated from a life of slavery in Egypt found themselves as a population without a home.
Choice men from each tribe were selected to recon the land God had promised them and they had failed the test of faith (except for Joshua and Caleb) by not believing God would deliver to them the Promised Land from those powerful giants and fortified cities they discovered. As a result, an unbelieving generation was judged unfit to inherit the fruitful lands and their children would been prepared through the trials of living the nomadic life in the wilderness.
God had been training them to obey His instructions in the desert and one of the main realities was, they could not survive in the wilderness, upwards of a million people by some accounts, without the sovereign blessings of God. God has shown them over and over that He was willing and able to protect them, in miraculous ways, as long as they followed His instructions.
Each day, God’s presence was not only obvious but it was also practical. Under the cover of a protective cloud during the day and by the warmth and security of fire by night, the tribes of Israel became in tune with God’s leading and more accustomed to the strength and harmony that resulted from the relationship.
If God chose to move his fire or his cloud, the tribes would necessarily move in harmony with God. To receive God’s blessings and protections is to follow His lead.
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Seek Guidance: One of many Lessons
Seek daily guidance from God through the Holy Spirit and the by reading and applying Scripture. Strive to understand the character of God so that your spiritual awareness becomes such that you take action when prompted by how the Holy Spirit purposes you to act.
Courage becomes identifying the will and way of The Worthy Master and then taking purposeful action.
To move purposefully in God’s will takes disciplined practice to master because we all have a history of being slaves to the world as the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians.
As long as you continue this trek through this worldly wilderness and until you, as one who trusts in Christ, finally enters God’s heavenly kingdom, you will contend with your old self in your effort to please God.
To be a believer in Christ manifests itself in a determined effort to be obedient to God’s will in every aspect of your life. Your desire will become less for your self-interest and more for what God desires.
Build upon the security of a relationship with God through His Son. Read the Word, God’s supernatural revelation. Build fellowship with other believers. See others as Christ would have to see them. Seek to perceive and understand God’s presence and how He provides Clouds and Fire to guide you.
CKY
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