As I sat in line at the drive thru, I noticed what seemed to be a father, walking through the parking lot with his adult son. They were walking at a normal pace, but very close to each other. In fact,  the father had his arm around his son. As they got closer, I realized the son was blind. I watched as the father walked his son through the parking lot and around to their car. He slid open the door of the minivan, then helped his son climb in. I watched as the man buckled his son’s seatbelt. It was a beautiful display of love.

As I sat there, though, thinking about this, I couldn’t get over the pace at which they had walked through the parking lot. This son wasn’t timid in his steps. He wasn’t using a long white cane. All he had was his father’s arm around him, guiding him. He trusted his father to see what he couldn’t, and he walked confidently wherever his father directed.

Isn’t that a wonderful picture of what God does for us?

We know that Moses saw God as his guide because of what he said to Joshua when he turned over leadership of the Israelites. In front of the entire assembly, Moses said: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

Moses had seen God’s faithfulness firsthand during those 40 years he and the Israelites had walked through the wilderness. Now they were about to enter the Promised Land. So much of their lives was about to change. They were getting  new leadership, a new land, and new food.

But there was one thing wouldn’t change: God would still be going before them. Just as He had physically been present in the pillars of cloud and fire, God would now go before them in the Ark of the Covenant. Life would be different, but the faithfulness of God would remain. He would always be with them and lead the way.

He promises that to us as well. Hebrews 13:5–6 says, “God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’”

With God as your guide, you can walk confidently today, even though you can’t see where you are walking. Whatever the unknown, whatever the darkness, whatever the fears, your Father’s arms are around you—He is leading, guiding, and walking with you. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed. The Lord is your helper. †