Presence of God IV
Peace to you, dear readers of „Daily Word for Spiritual Edification”! I thank God for you and pray that this day would be filled with great victories over different circumstances and would be full of God’s presence.
We have been talking about God’s presence in our lives. As we have discussed, God’s presence makes all the difference in our lives. It makes us strong. It makes us wise. We can experience God’s presence through fervent praying, through cleansing and purifying of our hearts, through brokenness and humility before God, and through holy and godly living.
Moses made prayer a priority in order to secure God’s presence in his life and ministry; for this reason he set up a special tent where all the seekers of God were invited to come.
«Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp» (Exodus, 33:7).
God desires to meet with you. He wants to be close to you, but He also wants us to be hungry for His presence and draw near to Him. Moses set up a tent where all those that had a desire to meet with God could come. If you are serious about seeking the presence of God in your life, then you need a special place where you can meet with Him.
Did you notice where Moses’ prayer tent was located? Outside the camp. Far from the camp. In order to draw near to God we need to draw away from the natural things. We must leave the habitual, ordinary, superficial level and go deeper into more serious relationships with God. Thirsting for God will force you to go further than others go. Besides the corporate, collective experiences with God you will be seeking some personal experiences of His presence.
Others may be content with what happens within the camp, but you want more; and this hunger forces you to seek God with greater fervency. This is how it works in our lives.
Many people simply watched Moses going into his tabernacle, even though it was set up for all those seeking the Lord. They watched how Moses was expressing his hunger for God. They watched how he was drawing near to the Lord and how God was speaking to him.
«So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle» (Exodus, 33:8).
Maybe, it is enough for you to be an observer? Maybe, it is time to step into the river of glory and God’s presence? The Bible says:
«Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, till He comes and rains righteousness on you» (Hosea, 10:12).
There cannot be reaping without sowing. The harvest of God’s glory and mercy will not come when we simply observe; it comes when we sow ourselves into righteousness, when we cleanse our hands, purify our hearts and seek the Lord.
When we draw near to God and seek Him, He comes and pours His rain out on us. He immerses us into His presence.
There is no reward or prize for observers. Only participants have a promise of reward. You can buy a ticket and go to the Olympic Games; you can get a hotel room and for a whole week watch the Games. But if you are not a participant there is no chance of reward for you. Many people like the position of observers. Many people praise those who experience God’s power and presence in their lives. As if such a thing could not happen with every one of us! As if this were only available for special, privileged vessels! What a lie! What deception! God’s presence belongs to every one of His children without reference to their work or position in this life. But you have to pay a price for the presence of God. We need to draw near to God and then He will draw near to us and demonstrate Himself in our lives.
May God abundantly bless you!
Till tomorrow!
Pastor Rufus Ajiboye
