The Blessings of God’s Presence
My Presence will go with you and
I will display my awesome power for you.
Exodus 33:14; 34:10
Dearly Beloved, New Year Greetings to all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This year God promises “His Presence” to all of us. The presence of God is the most important and indispensable thing in the life of a believer. Moses was convinced that without God’s presence in our life, it was useless for us to attempt anything. When he spoke face to face with the Lord, he said, “…If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here ” (Exodus 33:15). He was saying, “Lord, if your presence is not with me, then I’m not going anywhere. I won’t take a single step unless I’m assured you’re with me!” Moses knew it was God’s presence in Israel that set the people apart from all other nations. And the same is true of the church of Jesus Christ today. The only thing that sets us apart from nonbelievers is God being “with us” – leading us, guiding us, working his will in and through us.
When the Lord’s presence is in our midst, no one can harm us. But without him, we’re helpless, reduced to nothing. Let the people of this world trust in their money and might. We will trust in the manifest presence of our God in this New Year 2017! God says “My presence will go with you” (33:14). What an incredible promise! The Scripture is filled with accounts of the wonderful blessings that came to those who had the presence of God with them. Let us consider some of them.
1. PEACE
When God is with us, we will experience rest and peace in our lives. The LORD said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exodus 33:14). The presence of God gives us rest from all the turmoil and confusion. Jesus promised us the peace which the world cannot give (John 14:27). Jesus entered the room where the frightened disciples were and said, Peace be with you (John 20:19). This divine peace does not depend on the outward circumstances. When we are inside an air-conditioned room we can be cool even though it is hot outside. Similarly the presence of God will give you great inward peace and joy this year even though the external circumstances may be turbulent.
2. PROTECTION
God’s presence will give us protection. The Lord promises, ‘when you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you’ (Isaiah 43:2). The presence of God will be a great wall of protection around us (Zech. 2:5). We need not fear the floods and fire when we go through them because God will be with us to protect us (Read Daniel 3:25). David says, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me’ (Psalm 23:4). No one will be able to stand up against uswhen God’s presence is with us (Joshua 1:5; Rom. 8:31). What a promise and what an assurance! Surely the Lord will always be with you to protect you and rescue you when you obey him and follow him closely (Jer. 1:8; 19; 15:20).
3. PROSPERITY
The presence of God will bring us prosperity and success. The Bible says, `The Lord was with Joseph and he prospered’ (Gen. 39:2). Again in verse 23, the Bible says that the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. About David the Bible says, ‘He went on prospering and growing up and the Lord God of hosts was with him’ (2 Samuel 5:10). The Lord was with Hezekiah and wherever he went he prospered (2 Kings 18:7). The Lord was with Jehoshaphat and he had great riches and honour (2 Chro. 17:3, 5). Yes the Lord will bless the work of your hands and prosper your efforts in this year 2017. Seek his presence and guidance continually in all your endeavours. Read and meditate the word of God daily and enjoy His presence. Then whatever you do shall prosper (Psalm 1:1-3).
4. PEOPLE’S FAVOUR
The Bible says, ‘Large number of people had come over to Asa from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him’ (2 Chro. 15:9). When God is with us He gives us the people to help us. God was with Asa and when the people saw it they came to help him. Asa sought the Lord eagerly and pleased Him by removing what was detestable in the sight of God (2 Chro. 14:3, 4). The Lord demonstrated His presence with him in a powerful way. Joseph also enjoyed the favour of people when God was with him. The Bible declares that he had favour with his father, with Potiphar, with the prison keeper and finally with Pharaoh (Gen. 39: 4, 23; 41:42) .The presence of God will surely bring the favour of people in your life this year (Psalm 142:7)
5. PRUDENCE
The Bible says that David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him (I Samuel 18:12-15). The Lord will give us wisdom when he is with us. We may face many confusing and conflicting situations but God will give us the wisdom to take the right decisions. God was with David and gave him wisdom to act wisely in everything and it made his enemy Saul to fear him. The presence of God will make our enemies to fear us because they see that God is with us.
6. PLEASURE
Psalm 16:11 tells us that in the presence of God “there is fullness of joy” and at His right hand “eternal pleasures”. Psalm 21:6 says, “Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.” Yes, the presence of God gives us joy that is unspeakable and full of glory (1 Pet. 1:8). When the Lord is with us, we can smile at the storms and sing in the midst of adverse situations in life (Hab. 3:18).
7. POWER
The Lord told Moses, ‘I will be with you and display my awesome power in your life” (Ex. 34:10). Moses indeed saw the awesome display of God’s power in the last 40 years of his life. He witnessed the mighty deeds of God that were never done anywhere in the world. The Lord will display the same awesome power in your life. You will see God guiding you, providing you, opening doors for you, removing obstacles in a miraculous way this year.
Acts 10:38 says that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.The same power is available to us when God’s Presence fills our lives. The presence of God was with Jesus and he set the people free from sicknesses and satanic bondages. The presence of God was with the early disciples and confirmed their ministry with signs and wonders (Mark 16:20). The Lord was with the Apostle Paul and performed extraordinary miracles through him. You will see the display of God’s power as you seek to practice His presence in the coming days.
Dearly beloved, the Lord has given this year as a year of “God’s Presence and Power.” Practice His presence daily and you will experience all the blessings mentioned above. Be careful not to allow anything that can remove God’s presence from your life. The Bible says that sin, disobedience, murmuring and slander will take the presence of God from your life (Read Judges 16:20; 1 Samuel 16:14; Numbers 12:9). May the Lord bless you with a year that is filled with God’s PRESENCE AND POWER!
