The Fire And The Cloud

When Moses and the children of Israel went into the desert, the Lord led and guided them as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. I was thinking about the two ways the Lord appeared unto them. Clouds can be comforting and soothing. They bring life-giving water. Clouds are also full of possibilities. How often have we all looked up at the clouds and seen different shapes? During the day, when we can see clearly, when our faith is stronger than our doubt, we want the Lord as a comforting presence, one who can soothe us in our weary travels and inspire us with possibilities. But at night, when all is dark, when we can go longer find the faith to defeat our fears and doubts, when we can no longer see hope or a path forward, we need something stronger than a comforting cloud. We need something to fight back the darkness. We need a pillar of fire to light the way before us and to chase back the demons and the shadows. God is both as soothing as a cloud and as dangerous and powerful as a pillar of fire. There are times when He comes as a healer to bind up our wounds. And there are times where He lays bare His holy arm and wields the sword of justice in our defense. We need the healer and the warrior, the fire and the cloud. God is with us on the darkest night just as surely as He is with us on the brightest day.