‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ Exodus 33:14 NKJV
When you sense God’s presence and know He is with you, you can handle whatever life brings. Try to imagine the assignment Moses had of liberating two million people from the grip of slavery: leading them through a wilderness where they were exposed to enemies and elements like extreme heat and cold; feeding them, clothing them, settling their disputes, and keeping them moving towards their destiny. Here is what Moses prayed: ‘If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.’ (Exodus 33:15 NKJV) Moses preferred to go nowhere with God than anywhere without Him.
When his affair with Bathsheba was exposed, David didn’t pray, ‘Don’t take my crown from me, or my kingdom, or my army.’ No, he knew what mattered most: ‘Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.’ (Psalm 51:11 NKJV) In order to grow spiritually, you must develop an increasing awareness of God’s presence in your life. How do you do that? Instead of being a rock, become a sponge. When you place a rock in the ocean, its surface gets wet, but its core remains hard and dry. But when you place a sponge in the ocean, the water alters the very essence of its being.
Slow down and sense God’s presence. Begin by reading this Scripture, writing it down, repeating it over and over, and opening every pore of your soul to God’s presence: ‘The Lord your God is among you, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in His love. He will delight in you with singing.’ (Zephaniah 3:17 CSB)
SoulFood: Ezra 1–2, Lk 9:34–45, Ps 46, Prov 19:18–20
Renungan Hari Ini [The Word for Today] is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©