Read: Exodus 23:20-30
Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way. (v. 20)
Do you find it is easier to look back over your life and see where God was in the past than to discernwhere God is at work in the present? I know I do. When I consider my personal story, I see obvious indications that God was with me in painful seasons. But when I am asked to have faith for the present and future, I struggle with spiritual amnesia. It can be challenging to have confidence that God is actively going before us into the unknown—making the way for his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven—just as he did in the past.
Perhaps the Israelites felt the same way. God had rescued them from oppression in Egypt and parted the waves of the Red Sea, but would God really be with them and go before them on the rest of the journey? Through Moses, God communicated a powerful promise: God would send an angel to accompany his people as guardian, guide, and warrior acting on their behalf. With God’s angel leading the way, the Israelites would conquer the land of Canaan.
This passage shows us that God does not leave us on our own to carve out our future, trailblazing our own path through the wilderness. We have help on the journey: God’s presence is with us—past, present, and future. “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Ps. 91:11).
As you pray, thank God for guiding you into the future as he has in the past.
Katelyn J. Dixon is a contemplative writer, speaker, and poet living in the Seattle area. In her free time, Katelyn enjoys cooking, photography, and exploring the enchanting Pacific Northwest with her husband, Drew, while partnering with him in life and ministry.
