The Presence of the Lord
No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
Joshua 1:5
His Presence in Our Suffering
As I sat next to my son’s crib with my hand on his back, I had one of those moments where you realize just how wonderful it is that God allows us to call Him our heavenly Father. As Rhett’s momma, it was simply my presence that calmed him and gave him comfort amidst his suffering. How much more so should this be true with our Father in heaven who is much bigger, perfect, and loving than I.
Rhett’s currently down with a virus that is causing him pain and suffering. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to witness as his momma. Oh how I wish I could take his pain away! So when he woke up just an hour after we laid him down for the night, crying out for someone to help (which is quite unlike him, he usually sleeps great through the night!) I wasn’t surprised or upset. I simply walked in his room, prepared to comfort him back to sleep or help him adjust so he can sleep more comfortably. What did surprise me was that as soon as I opened the door and said “mommy’s here”, he immediately grew quiet. I decided to go over and sit next to his crib anyways, and he fell back asleep instantly. He was at peace knowing I was there. I didn’t have to pick him up and rock him or give him kisses and a bottle of warm milk to comfort him. (Although I would have gladly done all those things to help him sleep though. All sleep training rules go out the window when your baby is sick!)
My presence alone calmed him. My presence was all he needed to know he was safe, cared for, and loved even though I couldn’t take his pain away. He could go back to sleep now.
Do we equally consider the presence of the Lord to be enough for us? Especially amidst suffering, I am not quick to cry out to God as I know I ought. My visceral reaction is to either throw myself a pity party on behalf of my hardships or pull myself up by my boot straps and push onward. Even if I do cry out for the Lord as He desires me to, is His presence enough for me? Usually, I’m crying out in prayer, asking Him to please just change my circumstances. That prayer goes something like this: “If You could change this one thing Lord, then my life will be better and I can serve and love You more. I promise!”
What would happen if I, if we, change our prayer from “take away my hardships” to “help me Lord so that your presence is enough for me, even in my suffering”. Of course I’m not saying we don’t ask God for healing or help when the going gets tough and it feels like we are overcome by the world. He wants to hear our honest thoughts and know what we are truly desiring! Let’s hold our requests with open hands. Let’s not wait for our circumstances to change. Let’s allow His presence to be enough,
His Presence Then & Now
Rhett didn’t ask anything of me but for my presence in that moment. And it delighted me as his mother to be there for him, to be his safe person. How much more does God delight in us taking comfort in His presence! Moses understood just how important the presence of God alone was. So much so that he told God that if His presence was not with them, he did not want to continue leading the Israelites in pursuit of the Promised Land. In Exodus chapter 33, we read:
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”
Exodus 33:14-17 (NIV)
Moses knew that the presence of the Lord, leading His people on this voyage to the Promised Land, was what set them apart. It wasn’t Moses own ability to lead his people well that set them apart from other people groups. It was God Himself, leading them in a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. Without Him they had no hope!
Although their pre-calvary experience of God’s presence was different than how we experience the presence of God today, both then and now we are in the “not yet”. By this I mean, both the Israelites then and believers today have not fully experienced the presence of God. It’s something we have the opportunity to look forward to as believers; fully experiencing God in all of His holiness and glory when we get to heaven. This we can place our hope in.
No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
Revelation 22:3-5 (ESV)
Practical Application
My hope for us as believers is that we grow in the way our heart desires the presence of the Lord above all else. That our guttural response in suffering or hardship is to seek our Father in heaven first, just like a small child crying out for their momma and daddy. Although we don’t get to experience God’s presence fully on this side of heaven, we do know that because of what Jesus did, we have open access to our holy and heavenly Father on this side of the cross. Are you spending time in His Word and in prayer, connecting with Him and enjoying His presence? Consider the following with me as we learn to dwell and delight in the presence of the Lord:
His Presence Then (Read) - If you’re not sure where to start, read all of Exodus 33 & 34. You’ll learn more about God’s presence revealed to Moses and how it made his face radiant, so much so that the Israelites couldn’t even look directly at Moses after the Lord shown himself to him! Allow it to encourage you as you see the testifying of God’s faithfulness to His people, the Israelites, even though they were not faithful to Him.
His Presence Now (Write) - We likely all have parts of our life we don’t like or certain circumstance we wish God would change. Let us not focus on the “what ifs” and instead consider your “even ifs”. Write an “even if” statement with me committed to worship and enjoy the Lord’s presence even if we don’t get what we want. I’ll go first,
“Even if I never have the home of my dreams, I will still praise the One who made me and enjoy His presence for all of my days.”
His Presence Not Yet (Pray) - Pray a prayer like this:
”Father God, we thank you for your son Jesus who tore the curtain so we have access to you, our holy heavenly Father. Allow us to rest in your presence and call on your name like a child. I know You are more than enough for me, help me to believe it and allow this truth to be reflected in my thoughts and actions. Amen.”
