...only by the grace of God...

The Pillars of Cloud and Fire: Chapter 13

“17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, ‘If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.’ 18 So God led the people by the roundabout way of the wilderness towards the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle. 19 And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites, saying, ‘God will surely take notice of you, and then you must carry my bones with you from here.’ 20 They set out from Succoth, and camped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 

21 The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

Crossing the Red Sea: Chapter 14

1 Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 ‘Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall camp opposite it, by the sea. 3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.’ 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And they did so’” Exodus 13:17-22 — 14:1-4.

Oh dear friends, we are tapping into one of the most amazing stories in the history of human civilization, the Exodus of Israel! And the words that speak to me so much are these: “So God led the people…and went in front of them” (verses 18 & 21). These words just melt my heart!  Always have and always will! 

Dear friends, the fact is that God always leads His people. Whether or not we FOLLOW the Lord is the stuff that life is made of! But never forget that God will always lead you, while at the same time, God will always leave it up to you — and to ALL of us —  to follow where He is leading us, or to follow our own path. But here’s the deal: if we follow God where He is leading us, then we will happily have no one to thank but GOD. But when we step off the path and choose to set out on another path, and we choose not to follow Christ, not one of us has anyone else to blame but ourselves. And that, my friends, is the most succinct definition of the Grace of God!

But here’s the other part of these words: God not only leads us, but God leads us by going out in front of us! Consider the way God leads us by “going out in front of us!” God doesn’t sit in His chair on the throne and, from a distance, just telling us where to go! No! God goes first in front of us and leads the way. This tells me something absolutely amazing about God: God never leads us to go in a certain path unless He has also travelled that path, because He goes in front of us. God always leads the way! 

These two ideas are the most amazing things we can remember about who our God is. God always leads us in life, and yet He always gives us the freedom to follow Him or to go our own ways. God is not a Divine Puppeteer, nor are we God’s puppets on strings that He controls. 

But every time we follow God in our life, we do so because He has lovingly goes before us and empowers us through His gracious grace. But that choice is ours. And it is most-assuredly a graced choice!

So take this to prayer today and have a great time thanking God for WHO HE IS!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.