“DID NOT DEPART!”

Exodus 13:21-22                           (ESV)

“21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.

22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night “DID NOT DEPART” from before the people.”

Most people prefer to have “all of their ducks in a row” before beginning a journey.  However, some of us have more of a “fly by the seat of our pants” mentality, adjusting on the fly to obstacles that may happen during our lives.  Those of us who have these traits tend to be more “trusting”, but it may be due to a lack of waiting for guidance and direction from above?  The children of Israel were left with no alternative but to follow the LORD as “The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night “DID NOT DEPART” from before the people.”   

Nowadays we operate at such a hectic pace that we very often have to react to keep up with a conversation before putting much thought or prayer into what comes out of our mouths.  While in Rehab following the Brain Hemorrhage in 2007 I almost constantly found myself a few minutes behind a conversation because I couldn’t formulate sentences quickly enough to contribute to a dialogue.  Speech Therapists tried everything they could to “restore” my word recall, but eventually realized that I “was as good as I was going to get”!  GOD used the Hemorrhage to SLOW DOWN my swift responses and inject more thought into my words.   

The children of Israel were about to experience one of the greatest miracles of the entire Bible, they just had to WAIT ON GOD to act at HIS pace!  Exodus 14:2 says “turn back” and “encamp” by the Red Sea!  Then in Exodus 14:14 scripture states “The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."   Our dilemma today is we think we “need” to be moving so swiftly to keep up with “this world” that we can’t wait on GOD to part the Red Sea, and therefore annihilate our enemies?!?  

The same GOD that parted the Sea for Moses is waiting for us “only to be silent”!!  The same SPIRIT that created this world promised us that HE would never leave us or forsake us, so why do we think we are alone??  HE “DID NOT DEPART” the children of Israel, and HE won’t leave us!