God's Presence

February 15

Exodus 33-34

Psalm 22:11-15

Proverbs 5:9-10

Matthew 26:52-75

God’s Presence

“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?”  Exodus 33:15-16 NIV

This is my sincere prayer for both my life individually and for this nation.  Moses knew that unless God went with them, the children of Israel were doomed to fail.  God’s presence was their protection, their provision, and their deliverance and without it they would not survive the wilderness. They would never enter and possess the land that had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  I do not want to go one step forward without God’s presence and guidance in my life as well.  His protection, provision and deliverance have sustained me, and I cannot imagine being outside of His presence.  As I watch the news and see the direction in which America is heading, I cannot help but think that we have gotten outside of His presence.  The principles on which this nation was founded have been almost forgotten and revisionist historians have tried to make us believe that our founding fathers never intended for this to be a Christian nation.  If we look back at the original documents, it is amazing to see the clear references to Jesus Christ, the Bible, and God as not only important, but the foundation on which this country was built.  The founding fathers were men of strong faith in God who were not ashamed of the gospel and who talked openly and unapologetically about their beliefs.  Today we cannot say the name of Jesus Christ without being criticized as elitist and intolerant.  May the presence of the Lord go before us and may we, as Christians, boldly proclaim Christ as our forefathers did.  What else will distinguish us from all the other people on the Earth?