“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22 NIV84)

How desperately the people of God seek His presence. We yearn to be in His Word. We yearn to be in worship. The presence of God provides a level of security, comfort, and peace. Have you ever heard someone say, “I just wish the Lord would reveal Himself to me?” We want to know that God is present and connected to our daily lives. The Israelites were blessed to have God visibly with them 24/7. Night and day, the Lord made every Israelite certain that He was not only present with them but was also always before them to lead them. Can you imagine how awestruck they must have been to first see these pillars and to know that they were embodying the very presence of Almighty God? Can you imagine that after 40 years that pillar lost its luster? Day after day it was always the same. Over time, even the presence of God was taken for granted.

What about our daily lives? We are promised that we embody the very Spirit of God within our body, as a temple. The Lord is with us in His Word every time we open the Bible to meditate on it. The Lord inclines His ear toward us every time we stop to pray. Do we take these things for granted? Worse yet, do we sometimes begrudge the fact that we have to go to church or do devotions or pray? Why is that? Because somehow, over time, we become desensitized. We lose sight of what is actually before us. We must see through our eyes and not with our eyes! The Bible is not just black and red print on white pages. It is the inspired Word of God. God wrote the words of the Bible no differently than He etched the 10 Commandments into stone tablets for the children of Israel. When we pray or gather for worship we must understand that the very kingdom of God comes down to meet us and to dwell with us.

Let’s open our eyes of faith and see how intimately our Lord dwells with us.

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church