Weekly Devotion: How to Navigate What is Ahead with Real Hope

By: Jessika Sanders

How can we navigate what is ahead with real hope? 

In Exodus 36-40 we read of the preparation of the tabernacle—the portable, earthly dwelling place of God. With chapter after chapter of specific details, the book of Exodus culminates with a beautiful crescendo as we see the Lord’s glory fill the tabernacle.

You might be wondering, how does this have anything to do with how I could possibly navigate my circumstances with hope?

Exodus 40:38 NLT states, “The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.”

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The Lord’s presence hovered over them throughout all their journeys.

Because God’s character is unchanging, if He was with His people then, He is with His people now.

This means whatever valley you find yourself navigating, the same spirit that hovered over the unformed earth (Genesis 1:2), that hovered over the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22), that hovered over the tabernacle (Exodus 40), is also the same God and the same Good Shepherd that walks with you through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). 

If you’re journeying through infertility,

experiencing the complexities of a high-risk pregnancy

or pregnancy after loss,

wading through the muck of postpartum depression,

enduring child illness or hospitalization, 

or navigating the grief of child loss,

take heart knowing God is not only with you, 

He is hovering over you throughout all your journeys.  

We pray you will write this truth on your heart so that in the lowest of lows, you’ll have this hope to cling to and it will help you persevere through whatever lies ahead.

Heavenly Father, since the beginning of time you have hovered over your creation. Like a mother bird, you have instinctively and protectively  hovered over your young. In the wilderness you’ve been a pillar of cloud and in the valley you’ve been a Good Shepherd. Lord, I thank you that right here and right now, in the midst of my circumstances, you are with me. I thank you for the truth that I am never alone because you have promised never to leave or forsake me. Jesus, you are my Living Hope and you can help me get through anything. In your name I pray, Amen.

Dig Deeper into How to Navigate What is Ahead with Real Hope

Reflection Questions:

Have there been times in this journey that you’ve felt alone or abandoned by God?

Put Your Faith Into Action:

In Exodus God’s presence was manifested in a pillar of cloud, it was something the people could actually see.

This week, we challenge you to use the power of your imagination to envision God’s presence with you and around you. We challenge you to change the atmosphere by picturing Him in it with you!

Further Reading:

1. Genesis 1:1-2

2. Exodus 13:21-22

3. Psalm 23

   
   

Verse to Meditate On or Memorize:

Psalm 23:4

Jessika Sanders is a published writer who has been featured in Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Hope When Your Heart is Heavy devotional (2021), Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Jr. magazine (2023), and Tyndale’s So God Made a Mother (2023). She is also the co-author of The Good Book Company's, In His Hands: Prayers for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis ( July 2024). Jessika is also the founder and president of Praying Through ministries.