GOING BEFORE

Thou wilt show me the path of
life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy
right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

I've been thinking and reading about folks “going before” others...leading the way, pulling the weeds out of the way, stepping in the stream ahead of the group, etc. I have been thinking of folks in my life who have gone before me, physically making a difference or spiritually leading me in right paths. We've all had them in our lives, but God has used every one of those persons in my life to get me where He wanted me to go. I can think of Sunday school teachers, school teachers, pastors, neighbors, little old ladies in my church (of which I now IS one) when growing up, college advisers...and more that I can't remember.

The first to “go before” me was long before my birth and that was Jesus who went to the cross. I deserved to be on that cross, but He went before me, clearing the way through my sin and into the light of His salvation. There have been more godly folks in my growing up years who led and showed me the proper ways to go in my spiritual walk, and I'm so grateful for each one.

The Israelites knew what it was for God to go before them in the wilderness. God's presence stayed with them in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They were always to stay put unless God began to move, whether during the day or night. He never sent the people on their merry way...He always went before them. He was prepared to take care of them, even to fight for them it it was necessary.

The Lord your God which goeth before you,
he shall fight for you, according to all that He
did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen
how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a
man doth bear his son, in all the way that
ye went, until ye came to this place.
Deuteronomy 1:30,31

What makes us think God will do all of that for the Israelites and not for us? He may not lead us by a cloud pillar or pillar of fire. We have the privilege of having the Holy Spirit dwelling in those of us who are believers. That's better than any kind of cloud or pillar. We can speak with Him at any time, anywhere. He listens and leads....He goes before us, preparing His way for us to go.

We often find ourselves in our own, private wilderness places. There seems to be no direction available but HE is aware of it all. I love the chorus we used to sing:

My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,
All I have to do is follow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,
All I have to do is follow.
Strength for today, is mine all the way,
And all that I need for tomorrow.
My Lord knows the way through the wilderness,
All I have to do is follow.

Only one time in our marriage did I see a house ahead of time that Brian chose for us to live in. He always planned ahead even flying to distant places to seek out our future home. I would usually see pictures after his venture. He knew where malls, grocery stores, churches, etc. were located. He always went before us to insure we would have the right place to live. Those were wilderness times for me, but all I had to do was follow.

After His resurrection, Jesus told the women in the garden to tell His disciples that He would go before them to Galilee and would meet the disciples there. Even in that time, Jesus went before His disciples to meet with and encourage them.

We are so blessed having a Heavenly Father who loves us to much as to want to take care of our ever need. He makes every provision for our well being even if we don't see it happening. God had done everything to prove Himself to the Israelites, but they still didn't seem to believe Him or His provision. You see, we won't believe in God's provision if we have no relationship with Him. In that state, we will live in a sea of unbelief and that's a real tragedy on our part.

God knows the path I am to take . Moses wonderfully reminded the people in the wilderness of God's promises:

And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee
he will be with thee, he will not fail thee,
neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Deuteronomy 31:8

It was a promise for His people then and He is still faithful in our lives today to do the very same things. As long as I follow His leading, I am safe and secure no matter the circumstances I'm called upon to face.

Dear Father, I want to follow You wherever You want me to go. Help me to not go ahead of You, but to rely totally on Your direction in my life. I love and trust you completely. In Jesus' precious name...Amen