Standing and Following

There is something about dusk that intrigues me.
The shadows of light and the colors of the sky add a mystery to what is otherwise familiar.
I love to see things silhouetted against an autumn sky at dusk.
In those moments I would love to be able to paint the picture I see.

My husband was driving the other night and I was next to him.
I got to take in all the scenery that I miss when I’m not the passenger.
It was the power lines that captured my attention.
Silhouetted against the autumn sky was a line of birds too numerous to count.

What we humans cannot do without being electrocuted, the birds can do.
They can touch the live wire because they are not standing on the ground.
We who are standing on the ground would be electrocuted as the current flowed through us.
They sit on the wire unscathed.

It made such a wonderful picture.
The birds were on the power line huddled in a group.
No bird was alone.
They sat there together, wing to wing.

This is the time of year that blackbirds fly overhead.
They will fly en masse and land in the top of the trees.
I see them fly overhead through my skylights.
There are so many of them, they actually blacken the sky.

If I went outside and startled the blackbirds in any way, they take off.
Just as they landed en masse, they fly away en masse.
They never fly alone.
I think that is what intrigues me the most.

Anyone who has ever watched sheep being herded, knows this to be true.
The sheep circle around together and they walk around together.
I watched a sheepdog herding sheep in the lush green fields of Ireland.
That sheepdog, as trained by his master, could get the sheep to do anything.

I looked across the field and saw one lone sheep.
One sheep was hiding behind a bush far off in the corner.
The sheepdog never noticed.
The sheepdog’s owner never noticed.

One other person spotted the lone sheep as well and told the farmer.
At his command, the sheep dog ran to get the lone sheep.
The sheep has no choice but to go with the rest of the fold.
However, until that moment, the sheep stood alone.

The idea of belonging to a group is terribly important to young people in particular.
Parents train their children to discern right from wrong.
Knowing that, young people should be able to decide their appropriate group of friends.
That is not always the case because for them, it is hard to stand alone.

Adults are not immune to this pressing need to belong.
Adults will choose the wrong group of people in order to get ahead, be accepted, or fit in.
It is hard to leave a group once you are part of it.
The fear of being alone and ostracized takes over our common sense sometimes.

The need to be part of a group, even the wrong group, takes precedence.
The mindset of, it is better to belong than to be alone, seems to fuel many.
What people would never to by themselves they tend to do in a group.
Just because it is popular does not mean that it is right.

People care more about fitting in with other people than remaining true to God.
Often, people will lay down their beliefs or minimize their importance for the sake of the group.
That is not who we should be pleasing.
That is not who we should be following.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around the desert road towards the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle…By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left the place in front of the people. (Exodus 13:17,18,21,22)

God directed Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand that Pharaoh let His people go.
After ten plagues, Pharaoh relented and let God’s people go.
However, after the Israelites left, Pharaoh realized that his slave labor was gone.
He sent his army after the Israelites as they approached the Red Sea.

We know that God miraculously sent an east wind that drove the water back.
The Israelites crossed the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and left.
When Pharaoh’s army entered the Sea, Moses stretched out his hand over the water.
God caused the water to flow back and cover the entire army of Pharaoh and they died.

The pillar of cloud and pillar of fire led the Israelites through the desert.
When the cloud lifted the people moved from the camp.
When the cloud stopped, the people set up camp in a new location.
The Israelites followed the cloud so that they could be led by God.

As we studied this passage in Bible study, one precious woman said it best.
WE SHOULD FOLLOW THE CLOUD, NOT FOLLOW THE CROWD.
We all looked at her with our mouths wide open.
She gave a synopsis in one sentence about how God wants us to live our lives.

We are not to go along for the sake of going along.
We are to follow God and His Word and adjust our lives accordingly.
In a culture where standing alone ostracizes you, we need courage.
We do not cower behind a bush like the lone sheep but rather, we must stand.

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still. (Exodus 14:13, 14)

Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.
That may mean standing alone.
That may mean going against the crowd.
FOLLOW THE CLOUD; DO NOT FOLLOW THE CROWD.