I spent many hours in the forest as a teenager. I learned how to walk almost silently. I learned the terrain of the mountain and where I was the most likely to see deer and elk or the occasional bear. Most importantly, I learned how to follow a trail. I learned to recognize blaze marks on the trees that marked the way on the human-made paths.
That there is a trail out there somewhere that will lead us to God is not the only information we have. The Bible, specifically the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus, map out the trail we must follow. A guide is also given to us that will lead us along the trail that leads to God. “Follow me.” is a command frequently found in the teachings of Jesus. God does not try to hide the path from us. He wants us to follow Him carefully. The Ten Commandments’ underlying principle is that we follow God so intently that we live in His shadow. Each of the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus serves as blaze marks revealing the trail into God’s shadow.
The Israelites followed the trail that God laid out for them in the wilderness. They watch the cloud of God’s presence that settled over the tabernacle. When this symbol of God’s presence lifted and traveled, they would break camp and follow the cloud. (Exodus 40:36-38) The cloud marked the direction they were to move. The Israelites only traveled when the cloud of God’s presence moved. This cloud was the trail marker for them. No one had any question whether it was time to move or where to go. When the cloud moved, they followed the trail it laid out.
I have found no record in scripture of any of the Israelites refusing to follow or making excuses not to follow. I do not read of anyone trying to take a shortcut. They did not know the trail and had to rely on God to lead them.
I do not read of any of the Israelites saying, “I will follow eventually, but I have to roast a few more marshmallows over the campfire before I go.” Living in God’s shadow requires obedient action. Following the trail into God’s shadow is not something we should delay.
Most of the trails I followed, when I was young, were not human-made; instead, the wild animals using the same route many times had created them. These one-foot-wide dirt paths often contained the tracks of whatever or whoever had walked on it in the last few hours. Following these trails, I learned that the deer prefer the route between two places that requires the least amount of effort. None of those trails were as easy as flat ground, but they needed less energy than the surrounding terrain.
Following Jesus is not a guarantee that life will be easy. We will face things we do not understand, painful experiences, and times when it seems like we cannot take another step. No matter how steep or uncomfortable the trail of life may be, we continue to hear Jesus call, “Follow me.” If we look carefully in the dust of the trail, we will see His footprints showing us that He has walked this trail before us.
I also learned that there is a difference between following a trail and following one animal’s tracks in the snow. Once I was following deer tracks through the snowy forest, and I assumed that I could go anywhere the deer went. The deer tracks eventually crossed a very steep area. When I attempted to cross the same area, I learned that the difference between my feet and a deer’s hooves is significant. My feet will not cling to slippery slopes the way the hooves of a deer will.
Personal experience has taught me that when I find the ground beneath my feet to steep to stand on, I am usually off of the trail. If we notice that we do not feel the need for God’s shadow, we are getting off the path. When we think that the Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus cannot relate to society today, we are off the trail.
A trail not used frequently will become overgrown and difficult to follow. One place I lived, the neighbors told me of a pathway between the house I lived in and their house. The neighbor’s daughter and a young lady that previously lived in my house had been friends. The girls had walked back and forth so much that they had created a trail between the houses. I looked for the path at that time and found remnants of it. Disuse had caused it to start to become overgrown. The last time I looked, even the remaining pieces had almost disappeared. If we are content to let our Bible become dusty and fail to respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him, we can expect to find that the trail into God’s shadow will become hard to follow.
Following Jesus’ teachings will keep you on the correct path. Consistently pursuing God and living in His shadow will preserve the trail from becoming overgrown.