ICS Daily Devotions
Living in His Presence
Exodus 33:9-11, 14-15 And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle…… And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
In this passage, Moses refused to move the camp until he received confirmation from God that His blessing and presence would be with them. Otherwise he would not move. Before the tabernacle was built, Moses went the extra mile and he repeatedly used his own tent as a place to meet God. Every time he wanted to meet with God, he would pitch it outside far away from the camp. The pillar of cloud that descended right at the entrance of his tent of meeting was the manifested presence and glory of God. It was there the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to a dear friend.
Today, we do not need signs to know that God’s presence is with us. We can fellowship with God through the finished work of the cross. We are in better position than Moses to speak to God because we are children of God, hidden in Christ, seen as righteous and holy before him. He accepts us in the Beloved. We have the privilege to run to His throne of grace to find help and mercy in the time of need. We are given the promise in the Scriptures that when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
Prayer and consecration are inseparable. There is no shortcut route to discern God’s will for our lives. Before we make a major decision in our life, we should have the same attitude as Moses, i.e., we will not move unless God’s blessing and presence goes with us. This attitude is submitting to the Lordship of Christ, a life of humbleness and consecration to God’s plan for our lives. Faith arises in our heart when we know that we are walking in God’s will. There is no fear in the face of any confrontation and circumstance that seem contrary to what God has already spoken to us. He is leading us instead of us walking ahead of Him. He promises to be our Guide.
The fact that Moses used his own tent as a meeting place before the tabernacle was built indicates his determination and desire to seek God. It became a personal meeting place with God. We should also have a place identified where we can meet God personally either in our home or office.
When we long for God’s presence, we will know God because we are fellowshipping with Him daily. If we walk in the presence of God, we are walking in God’s power and authority. And it affects every area of our life: we are children of God, husband or wife, father or mother, corporate person and servant of God.
Being in the presence of God will help us to stay humble and keep us focused on what is truly important in our lives. We need God’s wisdom to set us apart and ensure that we do not compromise with the values, principles and the abundant life that we would like to protect.
We should not go to the extreme of thinking that we cannot do anything without specific direction from the Holy Spirit. God has given us a mind for a purpose. In many natural areas, we simply need to use our mind to make decisions. However, if we do not intentionally make time for Him, then we will most likely slip into being a master of our own lives. Therefore, we need a balance by creating a habit by being quiet before Him and humbly seek His opinion.
The right time is very important. When God tells us something, it does not always mean that it will happen immediately. We need to wait on God until we know what the will of God is. Waiting on God includes listening to the Holy Spirit, reading the Word and journaling it down. We will also communicate our plan to God and listen to His thoughts. We are to check whether there is peace or unrest in our human spirit over the decision. We should wait on God as long as is necessary. It is worth the time. Trust in the Lord and let Him to bring it to pass if He has spoken to you!
Sermon Series: Caught Between the Rock and a Hard Place
