Insuring God’s people of his presence and will
When it moved forward they had to move on
Late in the night or at first break of dawn
If their heart and their love back in Egypt remained
Then each of the moves they would have complained
For the cloud and the fire never sought to go back
But forward they went on a promise land track
If they would tarry and the pillar did move
Distance would form and his presence remove
Soon the hot sun would be scorching the brow
The cold chill at night with no fire there now
Those closest to them most in touch with God
Would have moved on at his gentle kind prod
It gets very lonely and soon we will tire
If we ever lose touch with the cloud and the fire
This poem came about from reading Exodus 13 and thinking about the pillar of fire and the pillar of the cloud. At first I had the thought that both the fire and the cloud always moved toward the promise land but then I read where the cloud did go behind them the one time and shield them from the pursuing Egyptians. I liked the thought that even when we can’t see God’s presence, he is still behind us looking out for our good. I also like the idea that when we see the cloud or the fire off in the distance, it’s time for us to move. We don’t tell Gods presence to come to where we are, we must move to where it is leading us. Another good indication that it’s time to move is when those closest to us are moving because they want to be closer to Gods presence. The safest people to be around are always the ones who are inspiring us to move closer to God.