God’s 24-Hour Watch of the Believer

Exodus 13:22

He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

God gave a wonderful promise to Israel after He delivered them from Egypt. His promise came in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God promised that He would never take these pillars away from their lives, and that He would be sure these pillars would always be before them. What was so significant about these pillars? The significance of these pillars was that God was in them. In other words, God promised a 24-hour watch of His children as He led them through the wilderness. By the way, God kept His promise to them.

The statement, He took not away the pillar, means several things to the believer. The same God who promised Israel that He would be with them is the same God who promised to be with the believer. Matthew 28:20 shows this promise: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. God promised the believer He would be with them unto the end of the world. When we join these promises together, we realize that God has promised His presence, guidance, and care would never be taken away from the believer. What a promise!

However, I want to point out a critical thing about this promise. Notice God did not take away these pillars by day and by night. God’s promise of protection, guidance, and ever-abiding presence is God’s 24-hour watch of the believer. God protected and led His children in the day, but He also led them in the night. Let me share a couple of thoughts about this essential principle in the life of the believer.

First, God is with you in every day. You may spend time reading God’s Word every morning, but God is still there when you drive the car to work, and when you work all day long. His promise to go before you means that He will be with you as you go throughout your day. No matter what you face, you can be assured that God is with you.

Second, God is with you every night. The night is often the time many struggle with their problems. The darkness of night is that time we often face our fears, but God is still with you in the night as He was in the day. God’s presence has not left you because the sun has set. God is willing to guide you in the night just like He did in the day. His care for you in the day did not stop because the sky became dark. The God of the day is still an ever-present God in your life at night.

Third, God’s 24-hour watch of the believer should cause the believer to live right all the time. My friend, there is no time that God does not see what you are doing. The 24-hour watch of God for the believer means the believer ought to live their lives right knowing that no matter what the hour of the day or night it may be, God’s presence is there.

Fourth, God’s 24-hour watch of the believer means we ought to always be moving forward for God. You will notice that God said He would not remove these pillars from before the people. God is a forward-moving God. For God to ask you to live by faith is only asking you to trust His ability to stay before you. You can be assured that if God is before you, and you choose to live a life of faith by moving forward, that He has already been where you are going, and that He will care for you as you follow Him by faith.