We continue with RiSiKiLi−
You know− Read it, Study it, Know it, Live it.
Have you ever felt as if you
were stumbling around in a dark wilderness? <> Life is like that sometimes.
When God directed Moses to
lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He literally illuminated their way with a
pillar of fire through the night.
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).
The pillar of cloud and
pillar of fire were the manifest 
presence
of God showing the multitude the way through the wilderness. They didn’t have the written Word back then, other than the tablets with God’s Commandments.
In like manner, the Word of
God is the manifest presence of God
for us today, showing the way through the wilderness called life. Yes, we have
the Holy Spirit guiding us as well, but without knowledge of the Word, it’s
hard to correctly discern the voices that may speak into our souls and spirits.
I once heard this description
of a person without God or knowledge of the Bible: It would be like a blind
man in an unfamiliar pitch black dark room, looking for a black cat that is not
there. How undone is that?!
Every life will bring its
share of difficulties. To face trials time and time again without the hope of
Christ and the light of His Word would certainly be a frustrating and futile
existence. Oh, things may go smooth for a while but we can bet that one day the
hammer’s gonna to fall.
For the discouraged man or
woman, the psalmist writes, Oh, send Your light and Your truth! Let them
lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I
will go to the alter of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will
praise You, O God, my God (Psalm 43:3-4 NKJV).
The psalmist is fervently
acknowledging the need for God. And he’s appealing for the light and truth that
comes from God. Then when this is achieved, he knows he will have experienced God
Himself−referring to God as my exceeding joy. He will then
gratefully praise Him.
Today let’s praise God for
the light of His Word that helps us navigate through the wilderness areas of
life. Yesterday’s horrific killings of two young journalists in my own state
has pitched many people into a wilderness experience. 
When we turn to God’s Word
to help us navigate through such trauma, we’ll be stronger when we come out on the
other side. And as we allow the Holy Spirit to comfort as only He can, we can
find peace.
Please pray with me that God
will take this tragic and evil event and use it for His glory in the building of
His Kingdom. Only God can do such a thing. And let’s pray that in our own
wilderness experiences we’ll turn to God’s Word and to Him in prayer as a first resort.
Thanks for stopping by my
blog today and may God abundantly bless you as you seek to know Him better and allow His Word to help you navigate through the wilderness of life.
Let's end today's thought and do as the psalmist. Let's praise our God as we enjoy this beautiful song from Psalm 43:3-6 "To God, My Exceeding Joy" <> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhxmNOGII5k
©Connie Wohlford
