I remember as a child going to a part of the town I’d never seen before.

My father walked ahead, and I, clutching his hand shuffled behind. The lanes were dark, the streetlights dim, and the shadows looked like they were ready to pounce. But I didn’t fear—because Dad knew the way. He didn’t give me a road map.

He just walked ahead. And I just followed.

That memory came rushing back when I read Exodus 23:20—“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” And then Deuteronomy 9:3—“The Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire.”

Not just a gentle guide here, my friend—this is a blazing, unstoppable force going ahead of you.

Think about that.

Not a candle to light the way.

Not a torch to scare off a few mosquitoes.

But a devouring fire—consuming every obstacle, every hidden danger, every enemy plotting against you before you even reach the spot.

The kind of fire that makes your enemies scatter and your doubts melt faster than butter on a Mumbai summer afternoon.

But here’s our problem—we still try to be in front. We still like to approve the route. We say we trust God, but we keep one hand on the steering wheel “just in case.” And when God says, “Follow Me,” we often think He means, “Trail along at your convenience.”

The Israelites made that mistake. God said, “I’ve got the land ready—milk, honey, the works. I’ll go before you, I’ll burn down the barriers.” They hesitated. They doubted.

They were afraid.

So, God enrolled them in the Forty-Year School of Trust. Forty years in the wilderness wasn’t just a punishment—it was another season of learning to depend on Him, until they stopped clutching their own maps and learned to move only when He moved.

And that’s the choice we get too. When faced with the unknown—a strange place, a new job, a hostile committee meeting or AGM —you can either step forward behind the God who blazes the trail, or you can stall, circle, and find yourself re-enrolled in another “trust-building wilderness” until the lesson sinks in.

That devouring fire means He’s not only ahead of you—He’s making sure nothing ahead can destroy you. The valleys you’ll pass through? Already cleared.

The battles? Already fought.

The ground? Already safe.

So today, don’t doubt Him or lag behind. Stay close enough to feel the heat of that fire as it clears your way. Because when the One in front is a consuming blaze, you can walk forward with confidence, knowing the only thing that’s going to get burned… is what would have destroyed you…!

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