And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
— Exodus 13:20–22

When you find yourself in the wilderness, keep following God. I love the example of this that we get from the Israelites. They are God’s chosen people. God cares about them deeply. And, when they find themselves in the wilderness, God continues to lead them.

In fact, God stayed very active in leading them during this time. He supplied a constant source of direction for them. Every day they followed the presence of God represented by the pillar of cloud during the day or the pillar of fire during the night. They were not left to guess which way they were to go. They didn’t come to an intersection and have to play rock, paper, scissors to make a decision. There were no coin flips to decide to go right or left. They simply followed the presence of God.

The writer of Proverbs says it like this:

The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
— Proverbs 16:9

In our hearts we want to know the entire way. We want all the details: where we will end up, how long it will take, what route we will be on, and more. God, however, leads us a different way. He supplies us with turn-by-turn directions. He directs our steps. This really makes sense when you consider that God has always wanted to be in a relationship with us. His desire is not just to be a map, but rather he wants to be our daily guide. He doesn’t just point us in the direction we should go, he holds our hand and leads us every step of the way.

Today, allow him to lead you. Listen to his voice and go where he leads. He is a fantastic guide!