Led by His presence
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
Today’s scripture reading is about God’s people leaving Egypt after the first Passover. They were stepping into the unknown, leaving behind what was familiar, even though it had been a place of slavery. God did not leave them to wander aimlessly. He personally went before them, showing His presence by day in the cloud and by night in the fire. His presence was their direction, their assurance, and their constant reminder that they were not alone.
If you are anything like me, there have been many times in life when you felt uncertain about where God was leading. The path ahead seemed unclear, and you carried the weight of not knowing what the next step should be. In those moments, God reminds us that He does not always show the whole picture at once, but He always gives enough light for the next step we need to take. His presence becomes our peace. Even in uncertainty, we experience Him guiding us in ways that only He can orchestrate.
This passage can speak to you today because God has not changed. He still goes before His people. You may not see every detail of your journey right now, but He is the One who leads you by His Spirit, who lights your path with His Word, and who gives you peace when the way seems unclear. Just as the Israelites were led step by step, you can trust that God is guiding you in your own life.
Here are some ways to apply this passage and how to get started:
- Begin each day by asking God to lead you through His Spirit and His Word.
- When faced with uncertainty, pray for His peace and then take the next right step with confidence.
- Read Scripture daily, even a small portion, and ask God to use it as light for your path.
- Look back on times in your life when God guided you and write them down as reminders of His faithfulness.
- Share with someone else how God has been leading you, so both of you can be encouraged.
Today I want to encourage you to remember that the same God who led Israel with a cloud by day and fire by night is leading you right now. He doesn’t expect or want you to find your way on your own. His presence goes before you, His Spirit lives within you, and His Word lights your path. Whatever uncertainty you are facing, you can move forward with peace knowing that God Himself is guiding you every step of the way.
Today’s scripture reading: Exodus 13
1 Then the Lord said to Moses,
2 “Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.”
3 So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. (Remember, eat no food containing yeast.)
4 On this day in early spring, in the month of Abib, you have been set free.
5 You must celebrate this event in this month each year after the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites. (He swore to your ancestors that he would give you this land—a land flowing with milk and honey.)
6 For seven days the bread you eat must be made without yeast. Then on the seventh day, celebrate a feast to the Lord.
7 Eat bread without yeast during those seven days. In fact, there must be no yeast bread or any yeast at all found within the borders of your land during this time.
8 “On the seventh day you must explain to your children, ‘I am celebrating what the Lord did for me when I left Egypt.’
9 This annual festival will be a visible sign to you, like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. Let it remind you always to recite this teaching of the Lord: ‘With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.’
10 So observe the decree of this festival at the appointed time each year.
11 “This is what you must do when the Lord fulfills the promise he swore to you and to your ancestors. When he gives you the land where the Canaanites now live,
12 you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the Lord, for they belong to him.
13 A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the Lord by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son.
14 “And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery.
15 Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the Lord killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the Lord—except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.’
16 This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.”
17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”
18 So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear to do this. He said, “God will certainly come to help you. When he does, you must take my bones with you from this place.”
20 The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness.
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.
22 And the Lord did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.
Journal:
- Write about an area in your life where you need God’s direction right now.
- How can you choose to trust His presence and His leading in that situation?
The Daily Dose 