Divine Direction

The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night (Exodus 13:21, NLT).

It was early March and we were gifted with a beautiful day of weather. If you live in Kentucky, or areas with similar climate, you know that a beautiful day of weather that early in the season is something to enjoy!

A friend and I met up at Camp Nelson to walk the grounds. We ended up on the backside of the property where they have some hiking trails. Though I’ve been out to Camp Nelson many times, I’ve often gone alone and never ventured onto the hiking trails. When we found the trailhead we had to make a decision: do we start the hike or head back toward the entrance? We chose the former and began the hike as we continued to chat.

Deep in conversation, neither of us paid much attention to any sort of direction as we stepped onto the trail. A divide in the path forced us to make a decision. I knew the trail wasn’t very long no matter which choice we made, but it was also getting closer to sundown and we wanted to be sure we were safely back to the car before dark.

After checking out the views from an overlook, I knew we needed to make a decision. As I turned around the hop back on the trail, I looked down to see a piece of paper on the ground. Lo and behold, it was a trail map. I spun around and showed my friend the map and we both laughed. Talk about divine direction.

It was as if the Lord had spoken directly to us by placing the map clearly on our path. It reminded me of so many instances in the Bible where the Lord provides direction for His followers. Though there are many examples from which to choose, I how the Lord guided Moses and the Israelites in the book of Exodus 13:21: The Lord went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night.

We spent a few minutes checking out our options via the map and made a choice to continue on the longest part of the path. This experience reminded me of the importance of leaning into Jesus to provide divine direction. Many times in life we will make unwise decisions, like starting a hike near sundown without knowing the length or direction of the trail. Ha! But, just as Jesus did for Moses and the Israelites, He showed us the way.

The book of Exodus is excellent. I’d encourage you to take time and read through the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of exile and through to The Promised Land. The story doesn’t necessarily go as you might think, but this particular verse from Chapter 13 reminds me of the truth that the Lord always provides what we need, even if it’s not in the way we expect.

As I have walked in relationship with Jesus over the last 5+ years, I have grown accustomed to hearing from the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t always happen in the way or the timing that I might like, but I am confident that when we have hearts that are open, and ears that are lended to listening for His voice, He will always provide divine guidance and direction to show us the way He wants us to go.

#christ #exodus #direction #thenarrowpath #faith #obedience #discipline #jesus