Day 19 with Moses: The Presence of the Lord brings what you need, when you need it.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭13:21-22‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In the first few years of elementary school we engaged in “show and tell” once a week. As the name implies, we brought something interesting from home and talked about it. I had a few precious dolls—but like so many in my generation—I didn’t have a lot of other “stuff.” Well, at one point I got a pencil holder (red) on which a ruler slid and—wait for it—it also had a pencil sharpener at the end of the ruler! Now I thought that this was the neatest thing I had ever seen. You see, I have always been intrigued by multi-function gadgets. So, I commenced to take it for show and tell for the next two or three weeks. The last time I took it I was informed by self-appointed critics in my class that they had already seen that. Needless to say, I was devastated.

When I was a little older I was introduced to a Swiss Army Knife; now that wrecked my world. And don’t get me started on some of the survival gadgets out there. And, even though I now know that something being multifunction may simply mean that it doesn’t do a lot of things very well, the idea is still intriguing.

When it comes to multi-function operation, you can’t find something that more exemplifies that than the Presence of the Lord.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:2‬ ‭NKJV‬

Indeed, throughout scripture we find the Lord promising to be what we need, wherever we may find ourselves.

Today we find Moses being introduced to the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that would guide and protect the children of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land. This was no ordinary cloud, but contained the Presence of the Lord. As a matter of fact, even before they got very far on their exit from Egypt, the cloud served as a defense for them when they came up against the Red Sea.

“And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:19-20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

After having protected the Israelites from the pursuing army of Pharaoh all night, the Lord then commenced—from the cloud—to bring trouble on the Egyptians by removing the wheels from their chariots. All of this was clearly seen and noted by the Egyptians to the point that this phenomenon provoked great fear in them.

“Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.””

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:24-25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

We find throughout scripture the repeated promises of God’s ever present help.

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Additionally, we find God’s people expressing their confidence in the same:

“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:1-3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The Lord doesn’t just bring whatever you need, whenever you need it; He is whatever you need, whenever you need it. His power, His grace, His mercy, all that He is, is never limited, restricted, or useless. You don’t get more multi-function than that!

For today let us discover what Moses discovered:

The Presence of the Lord brings what you need, when you need it.

#40dayswithmoses