Pillars

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

When I think of pillars it is not usually columns in architecture, but rather people. There were not many older men left alive on my mother's side of the family so our grandmother was both the elder person in the family and the pillar to my thinking. She was to me, a very smart person with great common sense and a frank way of putting things that I miss more than I could have imagined when she passed away years ago.

My biological dad was something of a pillar in my mind as well. Though I didn’t know him for long, he brought my siblings and I together. I never got to know him as well or spend as much time with him as my grandmother, yet something important was missing when he died.

But to my thinking one of the biggest human pillars not only in stature, but in fact, has been the loss of my father in law. Both the elder and the male figure in the family on my wife’s side he was a stable influence for many years not only to his children but grandchildren as well. His loss is profound.

However, no matter how important these human pillars are to us we must not forget the One True Pillar and Foundation for every family of Believers: Jesus Christ our Lord. Human losses are tragic, but more tragic still would be the absence or loss of focus upon the True Foundation of every family. We will survive the loss of family members, as hard as that may be, but without the Savior at the heart of a family that is a tragedy beyond comprehension.

As with wise and beloved family elders we can go to God for advice, opinion, and guidance. When we need comfort or a shoulder to cry on we can go to our Heavenly Father. When in need of any sort we can reach out to God for whatever we require. Just as God was a Pillar to the children of Israel leaving Egypt, God is our Pillar leading through life into our Promised Land.

Whether you are facing loss, are in pain, or suffering any difficulty, I implore you to reach out to a Pillar which will never leave you. God is the Pillar of all believers, and can become a Pillar for any willing to believe. Allow the Lord to lead you on your way by day and to light your way through the darkness of night.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You for the elders in our life who have blessed us so much with their presence. Yet help us to never lose sight of the fact that You are The Pillar who stays with us throughout the day and into the night. Be with us in our suffering and loss on this earth, and see us safely into the Promised Land where we will once more meet those other pillars in our life. Amen.