The pillar of cloud and fire

“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” Exodus 13:21-22
The pillar of cloud by day and fire by night was the way God led the Israelites through the wilderness. It represented God’s presence among His people, settling on the tabernacle (Ex. 40:36-38). When the pillar lifted from the tabernacle, it was God’s way of telling the Israelites to pack up their tents and move with Him, and they would follow the pillar until it stopped again. In this way, God guided the Israelites. You would think that with such an obvious, visible manifestation of God’s guidance, the people would have believed in Him. Yet they still doubted. Time and time again, God led them to a place where there was no food, or no water, and they grumbled against Him and against Moses.
We might not have visible guidance from God like the Israelites did, but He does still guide us every day. We have the ‘more sure word’ of the promises in the Bible (2 Pet. 1:19). The promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut. 31:8, Heb. 13:5). The promise that all things work together for good for those who love God (Rom. 8:28). The promise that we will not face any temptation we cannot bear (1 Cor. 10:13). The promise that Jesus is returning (Acts 1:11, Rev. 22:12). If we have trouble believing these promises of God, having a pillar of cloud and fire guiding us would not make any difference. It is just as Jesus said to Thomas, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).