Presence
Author: Pastor Thomas G. Wilson
March 27, 2020
Exodus 33:12-16 KJV [12] And Moses said unto the Lord, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. [13] Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. [14] And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. [15] And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. [16] For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
Moses is one of the most compelling characters in the Bible. He went from orphan to being raised as a prince in the palace of pharaoh, to a murderer on the run to a lowly shepherd. It was then, at what could be considered the low point of his life that Moses encountered what would be his legacy, the presence of God. It was God’s presence that made Moses distinct, separate, and distinguished. It was also God’s presence that passed over the homes of the children of Israel when the destroyer took the lives of all the firstborn of Egypt. When pharaoh’s army pursued the children of Israel to kill them, again the presence of God kept a safe distance between them and pharaoh…at the appropriate time the presence of God released the Red sea, drowning pharaoh and his army. After all this Moses had just one question for the Lord. “This grace I have with you which has resulted in your presence being with us, your presence protecting us, your presence providing for us, your presence making us distinguished among all the people of the earth…will we continue to enjoy this grace?” If not, Moses basically said, “I would rather spend the rest of my life in the desert with your presence than to spend one day in the land of milk and honey without it.” Moses recognized that without the presence of God in his life it was useless for him to pursue anything.
As New Testament believers we have learned much about grace and I thank God for all the revelation on the subject however I believe we have neglected the one aspect of grace that we should be unwilling to live without…the presence of God!
It was no accident that God favored Moses with His presence. Look at their encounter in Exodus chapter 3:
Exodus 3:3-4 KJV [3] And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. [4] And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
The key to Moses enjoying the guidance, divine order, provision, protection, rest, and direction of God’s presence is that he turned aside. Moses did not allow anything to distract him, but rather fixed his heart on responding to God in the moment. There are opportunities for us all to experience this grace if we seek Him with all our hearts. This “hunger” and “thirst” for God always puts God’s integrity on the line. Begin to pursue the grace of His presence daily and you will enjoy His path for your life and pleasures forevermore!
For further reading: Ps.16:9, 11; Ps.27:8, Gen.21:22; Joshua 1:5-6; Jer.29:13
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