Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Exodus 13 before reading the devotional below.
Freedom is worth celebrating. A lot of places in the Bible contain instructions for celebrations, usually focused on remembering a time of significant victory. God wants the Israelites to pause in this moment and connect with their freedom. He knows that if they encounter too much hardship immediately they will give up and head right back into oppression. (We will see this in coming chapters.)
At the end of this chapter God sets up a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud. These pillars are a continual reminder of God’s presence with them and of his nurturing character. He leaves a nightlight on for his children in a time when they are fearful and confused about what will happen next. He guides them with the cloud every day to take the guesswork out of their journey. It’s a long, hard road ahead and even God’s provisions won’t fully calm their hearts.
Here’s your freedom for today: you don’t have to know where you are going. God is leading you if you have turned your life and will over to him. He will tell you what you need to know at certain key moments, but a lot of the journey is also about trust. Do you need to know what is coming up ahead? Maybe. But maybe not. Can you trust that God will tell you what you need to know? Can you leave the rest of the questions there for him to handle?