Never Far Away

Exodus 13:22 KJV

He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Can you imagine the emotions running through the camp of the Israelites as they left Egypt for the first time in four hundred and thirty years?

·       Excitement

·       Fear

·       Anticipation

·       Anxiety

·       Hope

·       Timidity

maybe all of it in one and the same person.

They did not know how to govern themselves. They did not know where they were going (other than from legends). They did not know what adventures awaited them in the journey or once they arrived.

Moses and Aaron must have offered some comfort. That God had used them was obvious. Though they had questioned them from time to time, and would again in the future, still they seemed to have a hand on confidence.

But there was one source of comfort that was irrefutable. God's presence stood before them

·       to lead them

·       to illuminate the way for them

·       to reassure them

The Bible says God "took not away the pillar" it was a cloud by day and a fire by night. It went before them to lead them but it never left them.

How good God is that He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Despite the conditions and circumstances we face, by day and by night, God is with us.

·       In a Bible that has stood the test of centuries

·       In a church that the gates of hell have not prevailed against and

·       In the Holy Spirit who lives within us and constantly assures us "all is well".