Exodus 13:22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

God gave the Israelites the guidance they needed, when and how they needed it. He had decided their route with an understanding of their weakness, that they might well run from battle, (verse 17) and He knew they weren’t spiritually sensitive either, so He gave them something obvious that everyone could see. If only Moses had seen the guidance, the people might well have not followed him. God doesn’t always do it this way, but it’s certainly easier on the human leader when He does! At this point the people needed something constant, or they might well have given up in the times the guidance wasn’t obvious. Again, God doesn’t always do it this way. He was doing it like this because of their extreme immaturity. They needed to get used to the idea that God really knew about and cared about them, so that their faith and obedience would be built up to the point that they would follow even when they couldn’t see the path at that moment. That certainly applies to us. As has been said, God is more interested in our character than our comfort. Sometimes He trains us to trust Him by not giving us fresh guidance until we’ve followed the previous guidance! On the physical plane, many people today have lost the ability to give and follow directions because they are too used to GPS systems. There have been cases of people doing totally stupid things like driving off of a washed-out bridge because their GPS indicated that was the route! We need to change “Global Positioning System” to “God Positioning System,” learning to listen to the Holy Spirit and so going forward with assurance, in obedience to Him.

I need this as much as anyone! At my age, some people might think it doesn’t much matter where I go, but I’m not at the end of the road yet – and I don’t want to run off of any washed-out bridges! I am grateful for my firm habit of morning devotions, because I often get clarification of what my activities of the day should be. Having retired from secular work, my schedule is far less fixed by external sources, but demands on my time come in from various directions, and I need to know what God’s schedule for me is. My calendar is completely blank for today, but there are a number of things that I have been needing to get done, so I’ve got to be sensitive and responsive. Sometimes a lack of pressure isn’t the best thing! I could well have another 20 years ahead of me, and I don’t want to waste a day of it.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Procrastination has always been an issue for me, as it was for my father. However, he had an enormously accomplishful life, so I’m not to use such weaknesses as excuses. Help me listen accurately to what You want me to do, and follow through in punctual obedience, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!