Presence of God V

Dear friends, I welcome you to „Daily Word for Spiritual Edification”!We are talking about the importance of God’s presence and about how we need to experience this presence in a greater way in our lives. God desires for us to spend time with Him, because it is the key that opens the door of God’s presence, power and glory in our lives.The Bible says:

«In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me. Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth» (Hosea, 5:156:3).

God so desires for us to seek Him early in the morning. He so desires for us to return to Him. He wants to heal us and to bind up our wounds. God so wants to revive and restore us, so that we could live before Him. When we seek the Lord, when we seek to know Him, He comes and immerses us into His presence; He pours out His rain on us and waters the earth.Yesterday we talked about how Moses set up a tabernacle outside the camp for all seekers of the Lord. We also saw that instead of entering the tabernacle and seeking the face of the Lord, Israelites were simply observing how Moses spoke to God and how God answered Moses.

«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. 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: 7-8).

They saw how the pillar of cloud which was the sign of God’s presence stood above the tabernacle of meeting.

«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 worshipped, 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» (Exodus, 33:9-11)

People saw the secret of Moses, the secret of his power and success. All these things were obvious. But they did not make a decision to follow Moses’ example. They probably though that God only spoke to Moses. They though that only pastor Moses could move in the gifts of revelation and power. They though that God’s presence is not available to anybody and everybody. The only person who did not think that way was Joshua, the son of Nun. He did not depart from the tabernacle of meeting. He sought to have his own personal experience with God. Joshua wanted to move in God’s presence.Praise God for people like him who do not agree to be viewers and observers, but who desire to be participants of the heavenly calling spreading the fragrance of the LORD everywhere they go. The rest of the people were worshipping in the camp, but they couldn’t carry the presence of the LORD with them.Beloved children of God, let’s stop being ‘Sunday believers’; let’s carry with us the presence of God wherever we go. In order for it to happen we need to make a decision to seek God just like Moses and Joshua.God spoke to Moses face to face as a friend speaks to his friend. You can become a friend of God. He can start opening to you His secrets. He can start teaching you personally; He can lead you by His presence and glory. And it depends on you whether He will do it or not.May this day be the day when you make a firm decision to seek God’s face and His presence in all of your work.Till tomorrow!Pastor Rufus Ajiboye