Exodus 33:15 “And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”
Is His Presence Present?
Have you ever seen a person at the store who obviously stood out? Your first reaction might be, “Wow! That’s…different.” Some people are just so unique in their walk, talk, or dress that you couldn’t possibly miss them!
We often associate “unique” with weirdness, but the truth is, we should stand out as different from the world around us. Nothing distinguishes you better than the presence of God.
A year ago, I was at a store in Arizona, and I saw a man dressed in obvious and distinct religious clothing. You could tell by his clothing that he was different than most of the people in that town. Truthfully, I was different than most everyone else in that city, too. I was more distinct in God’s sight because of Christ.
No way is good that is not God’s way, and no place is good that does not have God’s presence. When you look at the future, there are all kinds of things about which you could worry. What determines the future is not where you are going but Who is going with you.
Moses’ prayer was not that God would send the children of Israel, but that He would lead them. Moses believed that any place was a good place if God was there! Nothing would distinguish God’s people more than God’s presence.
It is easy to look at other Christians and think that God is with them because of the money, the influence, or the ministry they have. However, the most important thing in life is God’s presence. The way we distinguish ourselves more than anything is the presence of God. As Moses said, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”