Seek His Presence Continually


 What do you need most right now? Peace, confidence, courage, assurance, strength, or perhaps more of God’s presence and glory?


As the Bible says in 1 Peter 2:2 (NIV), “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”


What are you craving? We all crave something, whether it’s sweet or salty snacks, acceptance and approval, or simply to feel satisfied, comforted, and loved. But do we crave the Lord as much as we do other things?


In Psalm 63:1, David expresses his deep longing for God, saying, “O God, you are My God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry land where there is no water.” And in Psalm 42:1-2, he yearns for God’s presence, saying, “As a deer longs for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God…” Have you ever experienced that intense thirst or desire for something so much that you couldn’t wait to have it?


I find the story in Exodus 33:1-23 particularly inspiring. God tells Moses that He won’t accompany him and the Israelites into the promised land due to their stubbornness. Instead, He will send His angel to conquer their enemies and lead them into the land.


However, Moses prays and intercedes for the people, speaking with God as if they were friends. I can vividly imagine Moses and God sitting at a table, perhaps over a cup of tea, engaged in a deep conversation.


Moses asks God not to take them from their current place if He won’t accompany them. God’s presence holds immense significance for Moses. How much does His presence mean to you? To me? How much do we truly desire to know that He is with us in our daily lives?


In the New King James Version of Exodus 33:13, Moses prays, “If I have found favor in your sight, show me your way that I may know you and may find favor in your sight.”


What if we prayed the same? What if we asked God that if we have found favor in His sight, He would show us His way and allow us to experience more of Him?


Isn’t that all we truly need? More of Jesus, less of ourselves. The assurance of knowing that He is always with us, that we don’t walk alone.


“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭105‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fun With Words

Image
  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬   For fun, I decided to challenge myself to find as many observations as possible in this verse by breaking it down word by word. “For God”…refers to the person or thing that something is sent or given to, intended to help or benefit someone. In this case, the person is God. “So…” means “to such a great extent” or extremely; very much. It evokes feelings of head over heels love. This verse reminds me of two of my favorite verses: “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you…” from Isaiah ‭43‬:‭4‬ ‭ESV‬‬ and “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” from Zephaniah ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬ The next word is “Loved”…a simple word with so much meaning. However, the world has twisted it to...
Read more

Lovable and Capable

Image
  ““When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” Exodus 21:22-25 ESV ‭‭ I had this verse recently in a devotional. But the devotional was about identity, so I was confused about how this verse could apply to how I see myself?  I really had to think about it for awhile. I believe the Spirit helped me to see that perhaps this verse is about valuing life. Not only someone else’s but my own.  I believe how we see ourselves can reflect how we treat others.  If we see ourselves as loved and cherished by God it will be easier to see others in the same light.  I am reminded of this verse from Matthew 6:26,    “...
Read more