Being present is very difficult in the world we live in. We may be physically present, but so often we are not emotionally or mentally present wherever we are. We get so busy trying to accomplish everything we think we have to do, that we are always thinking of the next thing. Or we might be overwhelmed and stressed so we check out and play with our devices. To be present we have to be intentional.
When we are so busy it is also easy to forget to be present in the presence of God. We say we want God’s presence, but we need to stop and really ask ourselves if this is true. I have heard the statement many times, “Are you seeking God’s presents or His presence?” When it comes to God’s presence, we so often want what we think He should give us more than we want Him. We want our needs met, we want our sicknesses healed, we want freedom from bondage, we want to escape hell- but do we really want Him for who He is? Do we want Him as a genie who grants our wishes, or do we want Him as our Father?
I don’t know about you, but it seems like I spend much of my life exhausted. I am always trying to do everything and fix every problem. When I do this I tend to spend less time with God and more time running myself ragged. Even when I do lay down to sleep my mind is often still thinking of all the things I need to do. Not necessarily in a worrying way, just in a busy way. When this happens I crave rest. In Exodus 33 we read that it was Moses’ practice to go into the Tent of Meeting and inside the tent, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one would speak to a friend. One day Moses asked the Lord who would go with him to help him lead the people and in verse 14 God said that He would personally go with Moses and that He would give Moses rest.
Moses had a very difficult job. He was instructed to lead all of the Israelites to the promised land. Throughout Exodus, we see that this was rarely an easy or pleasant thing to do. The people were often coming up to him expecting him to fix all their problems. They were constantly complaining, demanding his attention, accusing him unfairly. This does not feel peaceful or restful, but God said He would be present with Moses and give Moses rest.
We need God’s presence and His rest today, just like Moses did. If we want this we need to look at Moses and see some things that he did that helped him receive this rest. The first thing I noticed is that Moses made it a practice to go to the Tent of Meeting to spend time with the Lord. Are we being purposeful to spend time with God, seeking His face, speaking to him as a friend? If Moses hadn’t spent time with God, he likely would not have received the rest that God wanted to provide him.
We have to purposely seek the presence of God. Fortunately for us, God’s presence does not live in a tent or tabernacle now. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, it says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (NKJV) God’s Spirit dwells in us! Ephesians 3:12 says, “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” We do not have to go to a building or certain city to be in God’s presence, He is within us. We can boldly and with confidence enter into time spent in His presence. Even though He is in us, we still have things we need to do to really be in His presence though. James 4:8 says, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
This verse tells us several things that we need to do if we want to dwell in God’s presence. First, we need to come close to God. How can we come close to Him? We need to shut out the distractions. We need to make a practice of meeting with Him just as Moses made it a practice to go to the Tent of Meeting. We have to be intentional. The noise of the world is so loud. The needs of those around us often overwhelm us. We are so busy trying to keep up with all of our earthly priorities, we forget our first priority is our relationship with God. We must go to meet with Him.
We also need to make sure we take time to wash our hands and purify our hearts. We need to reflect on our thoughts, actions, and motives. Psalm 139:23-24 says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (NLT) We need to continually ask God to search us and point out anything that offends Him so that we can be led on the path He has for us. When we do not take time to search out what offends Him in our lives we can’t truly dwell with Him and receive the rest He has for us. We need to make sure our loyalty isn’t divided between the world and God.
This can look different for different people. We cannot let the idols we have in this world be more important than our relationship and time with God. We cannot be so “me” focused that we forget to love others the way God intended. We cannot get so caught up in the divisiveness of things around us that we spend more time researching, arguing, and trying to be right than we spend seeking the face of God.
Psalm 16:11 tells us, “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” God’s desire is for us to spend time in His presence and when we do we will experience rest and fullness of joy. It doesn’t mean life will be perfect, but it means that we can have the joy of a relationship with Him, living lives led by Him, and having a heart of peace in the middle of the storms.
How can you seek God’s presence more in your life today?
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