Daily Thought for Monday 17th March 2025:
“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, or I would consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
Exodus 33:3
Travelling Well
Katherine Taylor
Driving south on the A1, I have a choice. The speed limit is 70mph. Once I get going, I can choose to switch on cruise control. I can set the control to an exact speed and it won’t vary. The job of working out what speed to travel at is no longer mine. I can sit back a little. I can take my foot off the accelerator. Except that I don’t. I stubbornly refuse to use the cruise control option. I don’t like the sense that the car is controlling me. It is keener to push forward and overtake to maintain the set speed than I am. I don’t like how close my car comes to the car in front.
I prefer to do my own thing. I prefer to keep in control. Even if that means that I use a bit more fuel. Even if that means that I have unhappy passengers. Even if that means that I am not contributing to the general smooth flowing of traffic.
God’s people are on a journey in the wilderness. Their leader Moses has come down from a mountain to find them worshipping a golden calf. They expect the calf to be able to show them the way ahead. They have done their own thing and have ignored God. God is angry. Yet, God still says “Keep Going”. God keeps God’s promise to lead his people on.
However, he won’t go with them. He will keep his distance. Instead, he will send his angel to guide them. It is a test for the people. Are they content with the angel who will guide them to their new home? Or do they really want God, the reassuring yet challenging one to be with them too? How much of God do they want?
It turns out that they do want all of God. It is crucial that God is with them. It means everything. The angel is a poor substitute. They lament his absence.
Shall we pray?:
Faithful God, you keep your promises. You want to be at the heart of our lives. Thank you. Help us to follow your will instead of our own. Amen.
Katherine Taylor is minister at Tranent Parish Church in the Presbytery of Lothian & Borders.