FIRST THE CLOUDS AND THEN THE GLORY OF GOD
Supplementary Reading: Romans 8: 18 – 27
Scripture Emphasis,
Exodus 16:10 “While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.”
“I’ll walk with God,
From this day on.
His helping hand I’ll lean upon.
This is my prayer, my humble plea,
May the Lord be ever with me.
There is no death though eyes grow dim
There is no fear when I’m near to him
I’ll lean on him forever
And he’ll forsake me never
He will not fail me as long as my faith is strong
Whatever road I may walk alone
I’ll walk with God.
I’ll take his hand.
I’ll talk with God. He’ll understand
I’ll pray to him
Each day to him
And he’ll hear the words that I say
His hand will guide my throne and rod.
And I’ll never walk alone
While I walk with God.”
“I’ll Walk With God” is a popular song written for the motion picture “The Student Prince.” The film’s title character,
‘the student prince,’ sings this song at his grandfather’s casket, the king of Karlberg. (1)
The most admirable resolve in all the world, that!
And it remains equally so for the myriads of people who set out each morning with that resolve.
When you meet them, they appear as fresh as the morning itself; talk with them, the air of refreshing faith embraces you. In their voice is the sweet music of innocence. The whole world seems vibrant with hope.
If only this view of life became the hope for all, then the world, now grown cold with fear and suspicion, would be young and vibrant again.
But, as yet, that reality remains elusive. So instead, we see a world of threatening desert expanses with their mirages that may attack our longed-for dreams.
Why is it that one day it’s easy enough to believe that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein.”
( Ps.24:1) KJV.
But the next day, the same world emits the vision of
“an infant crying in the night,
an infant crying for the light
with no language but a cry.” (2)
Where does one begin to understand such diverse experiences? Is it that faith’s realities are less solid than the realities we experience? The Old Testament story of the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt suggests this.
A constant expression of faithless discontent and constant grumbling by the journeying Israelites results in a summons before God to answer their behaviour.
“While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the clouds.”
The desert and the ominous clouds become the exclusive focus of the Israelites, not God and His glory.
This conversation between Aaron and the Israelite community follows an arduous struggle with the desert, prompting poignant questions about God’s role in this exodus undertaking. But yet, there is no doubting that there is a strong relationship between God and the people of Israel while enslaved in Egypt. “I (God) have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their crying out because of their slave drivers.”
The Israelite community experiences the glory of God, as with child-like faith, they move towards the open doors to freedom. Not at all physically overburdened with worldly possessions, the spirit of trust in them reigns supreme. But, tragically, the reality of physical needs and fear for the future changes everything!
Consequently:
-The glory of the Lord becomes replaced by that malignant fear.
-Their cups, once overflowing with gratitude, now are filled with demands for more physical sustenance.
-Submission to the continuing guidance of God’s hand becomes replaced, instead, with blame towards humans.
Physical needs and immobilizing fears must never overshadow God’s Presence with us. Faith knows that God remains with us even when life’s desert experiences threaten imminent dangers!
Learn again that life’s puzzles can never find solutions in our more intense personal logical efforts but in faith alone.
Faith is God coming to assist each person on a voyage of discovery that He already is at home in our spirits. What we now endure can in no way compare to the Glory of God that ever awaits us!
A PRAYER TO FOLLOW THIS MEDITATION
Dear Father, we bow amazed at the tenderness that greets us as we approach Your heavenly throne. We are children of the earth. Yet, here we are welcomed as loyal subjects of Heaven’s Kingdom.
Father, here on earth, we often miss the brightness of Your glory when threatening clouds capture our attention. Teach us, dear Father, to remember that just as the evening star still shines in splendour, although invisible through the covering clouds, Your presence remains constant day and night with Your children.
Unfortunately, there are many worldly distractions for us! When coupled with the world’s threats associated with our non-compliance, they serve to energize our physical needs while blinding us to the essential requirements of our spirits.
In this matter, we are still much like the ancient Israelites; the appeal of Heaven’s glory becomes lost in the needs visualized in some fearsome desert. Yet, ours is an even greater fallacy than the Israelites. Our concentration upon the likelihood of hardships is despite the manifestation of God’s supreme glory to us in Jesus Christ. He came to accompany us every day, even when life’s deserts stretch in front of us.
Father, in mercy, hear the prayer that Jesus left with me when He faced life’s most cruel desert, “Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit.” Amen.
Hymn: I’ll Walk With God
References
- Wikipedia The free online encyclopedia, for info and lyrics to “I’ll Walk With God.”
2. In Memoriam, Poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson
Tennyson’s Poetry “In Memoriam” Summary & Analysis | SparkNotes3. YouTube