Have you ever had a time when you were frightened because of something new that you had to do? Maybe it was your first day at school. Maybe it was meeting some people for the first time. At times like this it is nice to have someone you know with you, isn’t it?

The Israelites may very well have been frightened, too, when they went into the wilderness. They wouldn’t have known where they would get their food from or what enemies might attack them. But they didn’t have to go alone. The Lord went with them in the cloud. It was like God was saying through the cloud, “I am going with you. You will never be alone.”

The Lord used this cloud to teach the Israelites to trust him. If they couldn’t sleep at night because they were worried about what enemies might attack them the next day, then they would see the cloud above the tabernacle, reminding them that God was with them. He was looking after them.

The cloud also taught the Israelites to depend on the Lord. Many times they would not have known where their water was going to come from. There certainly isn’t much water in the dessert, but they had to trust that God would provide for them. He would lead them to the places where there was water.

The cloud also taught the Israelites to obey the Lord. Sometimes God would keep the cloud in the same place for a few days, and at other times for only one day. They had to learn that when God stopped, they had to stop, and when God moved, they had to move.

God is with us today as well. No, we don’t have the cloud of the Lord leading us every day, but we do have God’s Word and his Spirit with us every day. Through his Word and Spirit, God is with us always. We can trust him, knowing that he is leading us. He never leaves us.

Source: Sermon by Rev. D. Agema