“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

Wedding Hymns

Before my wife and I were married, I had strong ideas about our wedding (especially about the music). First, the wedding needed to be a time of worship and not simply a ceremony. Second, I wanted songs and hymns that were traditional stylistically but still “off the beaten track.” And third, I wanted hymns that conveyed a personal message of encouragement as my wife and I entered a new life together. The hymn Let All Thing Now Living fit these criteria. The words that resonated with me the most were these:

His banners are o’er us,
His light goes before us;
A pillar of fire shining forth through the night.

When God used Moses to free the Jews from Egyptian captivity, he did not leave them to the mercy of the desert and other nations who would seek to devour them. Instead, he gave them a promise: “I will be with you.” And as a token of this promise, a pillar of cloud and fire was a constant visual reminder of His unceasing presence. When they ever felt hopeless or scared, all they had to do was look up, and there before them was a powerful reminder that He was with them, He would protect them, and He would lead them.

Our Personal Lighthouse

The month before my wife and I got married was probably one of the hardest months of our relationship. Before-wedding jitters, the stress of planning a wedding, and juggling medical training were wearing us emotionally thin. And we seemed to argue constantly (mostly about meaningless things which I can’t remember anymore). I do remember, however, repeating to myself, “Marriage requires a lot of hard work and commitment…” Fortunately for us, life actually became much easier after we got married (although I know that this is not the case with most marriages).

As we were entering this new and stressful phase of life, it was nice to be reminded that God was like that pillar of fire guiding our way. Although we might encounter many deserts in our marriage that could cause us to lose hope, all we had to do was to look up and be reminded that God would be with us, protect us, and lead us. On the wedding day, as we were singing this hymn with the flute and piano playing gently in the background, I can remember tears welling up as we were reminded of God’s faithfulness.

Till shadows have vanished
And darkness is banished,
As forward we travel from light unto light.

The main problem with traveling in the complete darkness is that there are no points of reference. All compass headings look identical in the blackness of night (in fact, in pitch dark, even using a compass is impossible). But, just like the star that guided the Magi to the baby Jesus, God’s light will guide us when all others fail. And, in the luminescence of God presence, all shadows and darkness flee. In Revelations 22:5, we read, “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light…”