God Never Leaves

The kid in me has always been fascinated by the story of God’s people being delivered out of Egypt. The beginning of the journey is so intense and exciting! God starts by parting the Red Sea with a dramatic display of his power. The Egyptians, full of rage, give chase onto that bared sea floor, only to be foiled by the return of the waters. And then there’s the redemption at the end, when Joshua leads them into the promised land. It’s so satisfying. God’s people are finally free, roaming about in a land flowing with milk and honey.

It’s a great read. However, as captivating as all the bookend drama is, my focus has shifted as I have gotten older. It is no longer the drama at the beginning or the redemption at the end that fascinates me the most. Rather, it is now the marathon of the Israelite people through the desert in the middle that captures both my attention and my affection. The middle is where most of us are most of the time.

Those beloved Israelites. They are God’s chosen people, and they make a habit of making one hot mess of a decision after another. The longer I walk with God, the more relatable this crew wandering through the desert becomes. In our modern-day walks with Jesus, we sometimes have this mistaken idea that “if God were just sitting right here,” we would be more likely to know what we are supposed to do—or to do what we are supposed to do. Well, unless you and I are a holier bunch than the people he rescued from Egypt, that idea simply isn’t true. We wouldn’t do any better than they did.

During the entire journey of the Israelite people from Egypt to Canaan, God showed up again and again with individual miracles: manna, quail, water from a rock. God pulled through when they were complaining about their needs. However, even more than these specific miracles, it was the physical presence he provided them with every moment of the journey that really captivates my heart because it says something truly incredible about who he is.

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 NIV)

So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. (Exodus 40:38 NIV NIV)

What an incredible sight this must have been. Every moment of every day during the entire journey from Egypt to Canaan, the Israelites could literally see God. He went before them the entire time, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. They couldn’t miss him. And yet somehow, they did. They grumbled. They complained about his provision. They offered ideas on how things could be done differently or “better.” They made idols that they thought could do better than he. They did a lot of the same things we do now.

And yet he stayed.

Let’s look at that again.

They grumbled. They complained. They made false idols. They told him their ways were better than his. They quit on him. And he never left their side.

The same God who never left the Israelites as they struggled to make their way through the desert is the same one who stays with you as you struggle through yours.

He doesn’t leave when we forget how he provided for us. He doesn’t leave when we forget what he saved us from. He doesn’t leave when we grumble about our life circumstances. He doesn’t leave when we make choices and messes and consequences that complicate our lives. He doesn’t leave when we try to rely on ourselves. He doesn’t leave because he is God, and we are his children.

God’s staying power is central to his character. It is central to his love. And he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)

It is important to note that this aspect of God’s character is not a crutch. Of course, we should not just go gallivanting about in the desert, acting however we please. The complete story of God’s people in the desert also reflects that God is just. He disciplines and guides his people as needed. The Israelites also experienced plenty of consequences, and we would be wise to heed those lessons.

But for today, the focus of our reflection on God’s staying power is intended as a comfort. It is a comfort because as we journey through the desert days between rescue and our final redemption, we will inevitably do as Israel did. We will forget. We will misstep. We will complain and question and try our own way every once in a while because we have always been a forgetful people.

But he won’t leave.

He didn’t then.

He won’t now.

Journey on and enjoy his constant presence.

Anne Rulo is an author, speaker, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist and veteran coaches wife. She and her husband Tim have two children and are passionate about reaching people for Christ and sharing information on coaching, marriage, family, and mental health. Read more from Anne at www.annerulo.com.

Photograph © Eberhard Grossgasteiger, used with permission