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.