Longing for His Presence

15 Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
Exodus 33: 15, 16

Moses had the mammoth task of getting the people of Israel through the wilderness and the various challenges they would face, to the Promised Land. After being up on the mountain with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights and getting the 10 Commandments, imagine his disappointment and horror at finding Aaron and the people he’d left at the base of the mountain worshipping a golden calf!

It was after this debacle that the Lord said to Moses in Exodus 33 :2 and 3 “And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I [a]consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked[b] people.” A lot of us today would be equally satisfied with getting God’s protection and provision, and relieved that we wouldn’t suffer His wrath as a result of His presence. But Moses wasn’t. His ultimate goal was to have God’s presence. He was willing to forfeit the journey into the Promised Land if God wasn’t with them.

We know that God is omnipresent. He is everywhere all the time. But there is a presence of God that comes as a result of intimacy with Him; from consistently and diligently spending time in His Word, obeying His Word, in prayer and praise and worship. It produces a joy that is not affected by circumstances. This is the presence that lets us know that everything will be alright because God loves us and has a perfect plan. It is the presence that has an expectation that God will speak and we will hear.

Psalm 103:7 says “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.” Let us treasure and seek His face and not His hand. As it also says in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you”.

Father thank You for all You’ve done for me. Thank You for Jesus. Because He died on the Cross I have been reconciled to You and now I have Your precious Spirit living in me. Help me to treasure my relationship with You above all else and help me not to do anything to hinder our relationship. Help me to love You and please You everyday. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Ufuoma Daniella Ojo is a Software Training Manager and a Personal Performance Life Coach.

Lingering in His Presence

Photo courtesy of Maxim Weise & FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Word for the year?

Huh? Explain that to me.

That was me a few years ago. Here I was in my late forties and I’d never heard of the thing. Why limit your year to a single word?

A few of you might be having the exact same reaction this very moment.

I read a little about it. And tried it. And have continued the practice for the last five years or so.

Why?

“Each year, you should choose a word to represent the year you have in front of you.”¹

Claire Diaz-Ortiz explains the rationale behind the concept: “Thing long and hard about one word that will serve as a guidepost for what you want to do and be in the year to come. One word that will remind you of what’s important when you need it most.”²

I like that: a guidepost.

I tend not to think too much about it, rather talk to God about it and meditate on a word for a week or so. Often He gives me one of those “Aha” moments that provides clarity.

In 2015 my Word was “ADORATION” and last year it was “DELIGHT”. As I’ve drawn closer to the Lord these past few years I’ve felt an increasing desire for more of Him and less of me which probably best sums up the last two Words. I’ve so enjoyed delighting and figured there was so much more for me to experience that I was expecting I would stick with the same word for 2017.

As I prayed and meditated on it late in December I stumbled across a line in a prayer I read:

“If I’m going to be in a hurry about one thing this year, may it be to linger longer in Your Presence. Everything else will fall into place.”³

I stopped. Re-read this line a few more times as I prayed and then I had a new Word for 2017. Can you guess what it is?

Linger!

It’s a great word. How much do we enjoy lingering on a great cup of coffee or fabulous dessert or a piece of music? But how much time do we spend simply lingering in the Lord’s Presence to savor Him? Not what He can give us but Him, His face, His person.

Those who lingered

As I reflected more on that line above, people in the Bible who spent time lingering in His Presence came to mind.

Joshua

“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.” (Exodus 33:9-11 NKJV)

Joshua lingered in the tabernacle (nee: tent). Even when Moses, his mentor, left it. It changed him. So much so it was Joshua, and not Moses, who received the honour of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Anna

“Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years,[a] who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-38 NKJV)

These are the only three verses in the Bible about Anna. She was a woman who lingered in the temple. And served God with fasting and praying. The Lord honoured her by allowing her to see Jesus, the infant.

Mary of Bethany

“Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.” (Luke 10: 38-39 NKJV)

Mary lingered at Jesus’ feet to hear Him speak.

How can we linger in His Presence?

In this first month of the year I’ve found lingering in His Presence harder than I anticipated. Simply sitting in silence (sometimes), with worship music (sometimes), eyes shut or open, has been hard. But what I have acknowledged is that I’ve turned up each day.

Reading His Word is important and giving myself time to reflect and meditate on it has been very helpful. When I walk one of our dogs each morning I recite verses I’ve memorised and a current one is that wonderful one from Joshua:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8 NKJV)

I so love this verse!

I’ll report back during the year with how my lingering has been going.

Do any of you follow such a practice? Perhaps you have a verse or a “theme” for the year that you might like to share with us all.

Wishing all of my ICFW friends a wonderful God-filled 2017.

Notes: 1.  “Design Your Day”, Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Moody Publishers. 2016. Pg 15. 2. Ibid pg 15-16. 3.“Everyday Prayers”, Scotty Smith, Baker Books, 2011. Pg377.

Ian Acheson is an author and strategy consultant based in Northern Sydney. Ian's first novel of speculative fiction, Angelguard, is available in the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Angelguard was recognised with the 2014 Selah Award for Speculative Fiction.You can find more about Angelguard at Ian's website, on his author Facebook page and Twitter

Reunion - M. Laycock

Shades of fresh new green billow across the landscape interspersed with patches of tawny stubble and dark earth waiting for the rain. Hawks skim the ground or perch on fence posts, eyes ever searching for prey. Here and there cattle graze, wandering down centuries old pathways grooved into the side of low hills. It's springtime in Alberta. The long wait for winter to end has passed but now a new anticipation hovers in the soft air. Will the rains come? Will the crops sprout and yield their harvest? The potential for either feast or famine is there, walking the tightrope of weather forecasts and mechanical failures.

I feel the tight coil of waiting inside me. Thoughts of "what if" press it down hard until the whisper, "I am with you," breaks through and the tension eases again. Then the distraction of time spent with old friends brings laughter and tears, the sweet sweet song of two young girls, smiling as they sing about Jesus catches in my throat and eye contact with a friend brings a knowing smile. Walking the dirt roads of a country town on a tranquil evening, the joy of discovering new places together makes us giddy and the unexpected certainty that God is walking with us tingles my spine.

All too soon it's time to pack up with hugs all round to say good-bye as we step out into a cooling shower. Blessings falling on us all, on the land. The seeds will yield their fruit. Though weather may turn and machines may fail, the harvest will come. He is with us.

****

Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone and also has two devotional books in print. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. Marcia's second novel, A Tumbled Stone has just been short listed in the contemporary fiction category of The Word Awards. Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded here. Visit Marcia's website