COVENANT OF DIVINE PRESENCE

“And He said, “MY PRESENCE will go with you, and I will give you rest”– Exodus 33:14

One of the believers’ most precious assets is the COVENANT of DIVINE PRESENCE: “And He said, “MY PRESENCE will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exo.33:14). In response to the sin of the Israelites as recorded in Exodus 32, God was ready to ostracize the disobedient and rebellious people, but Moses stood in the gap before Him, pleading for His Presence to accompany them into Canaan. He protested that he wouldn’t take one step apart from the fullness of God’s Presence. The Lord then assured him: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (v.14). Following that pronouncement, Moses prayed that the power of God’s presence will be evident to all the peoples in the land. God is no respecter of persons. The same promise He made to Moses is available to all who truly cherish, long for, and reverence His Presence.

There are two dimensions to God’s Presence. Universally, all of creation is submerged in His Presence (Psa.139:7-10; Acts 17:26-28). Then, His Manifest Presence emerges when the universal assumes an intimate reality to an individual or group of people. There can be no greater Joy or Peace than this reality: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psa.16:11b). The Bible presents many life-changing, world-altering encounters: From Moses and the tent of meeting to the disciples at Pentecost, God supernaturally encountered His people in real, transformative ways.

David understood and walked in the Covenant of Divine Presence: “Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow the death, I will fear no evil. For YOU ARE WITH ME; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (Psa.23:4). That’s why he did not lack boldness and courage. He overcame the fear of darkness, danger, and the shadow of death, by God’s Presence that eradicates fear: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2Tim.1:7). My Shepherd is ever-present, never sleeps nor slumbers, and is my fence of defence, watching over me even in sleep (Ps.4:8; 121:3-4). In His Presence, I have boldness, courage, and comfort. His Presence eliminates all fears and deletes all despair.

God created us to experience Him. His Presence is real, loving, tangible and transformational. When we seek Him with open hearts and faith in His Word, we’ll discover the wellspring of life, joy, love, and transformation that is the Presence of our heavenly Father. His Presence brings healing to the broken and the light of direction to the lost. It strengthens the weak, refreshes the weary, and satiates the needy. We can consistently enter into His tangible presence anywhere and anytime. Encountering His Presence is entirely by His grace. He’ll never force Himself on anyone. He only fills up what is open and ready to receive. He sweetly calls us to meet with Him and waits for us to make space in our lives to receive what He gives.

God has made the reality of His Presence fully available in Christ Jesus. Through His death, resurrection and ascension to heaven, He has made it possible for us to dwell in His Presence 24/7, by sending the Holy Spirit! Nothing separates us from Him any longer. In this New Covenant, God’s Presence is WITH and IN US. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us (Matt.1:23). Jesus is the Presence of God at home in us (Jh.14:17, 23). We are God’s Temple (1Cor.6:19). Now, we can walk in step with and be guided and empowered by His Spirit in everything we do. Our prayers, thoughts, decisions, words, and actions are now released to honour His Presence, as we learn to live in constant dependence on and communion with Him.

Beloved, what’s your stance? Are you willing to move one step forward without God’s presence? Or, would you prefer to walk and live in His Presence all day long? Jesus assures us: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt.28:20); and “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb.13:5b).