The Power of Presence
"They have heard that you, O Lord, are in the midst of this people. For you, O Lord, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night." Numbers 14:14
We have a new puppy in our house. For some reason this dog loves my presence. Even though this dog belongs to my daughter, the moment I wake up in the morning the dog barks for me. Once I release her from my daughter's room she happily rams me with her snout. I think that means "good morning" or possibly "why don't you give me food you lazy human" but I'm not sure. At any rate, if I am awake, this dog will not tolerate it if she can't be with me. I'm sad to report that my presence doesn't seem to produce a similar response in anyone else.
Presence is something so normal and so natural in everyday life we don't tend to think much about it. Yet, presence is a bigger deal than we realize. What's so interesting about Numbers 14 is that Moses talks about the presence of God in the same breath that he talks about the miracle of the Exodus. Don't miss that. When it comes to the miraculous power of God on display it is hard to top the Exodus. But in the same way that Moses brags on God's power to deliver Israel from Pharaoh's yoke, he mentions the privilege that God's people have of experiencing His presence.
What makes the people of God distinct? Many things, but above all it's the presence of God. The presence of God in this specific way is not something the whole world knows. The nations Moses was talking about didn't know the presence of the Lord. But God's people had that privilege. Moses talks about the joy of seeing God face to face and experience his guidance by day and by night. Sounds amazing doesn't it?
What's so awesome is that we have something far better than Moses did. When an angel of the Lord announced to Joseph that Mary was going to give birth to the Messiah he told him that his name will be called Immanuel, which means God with us. When John writes of Jesus' birth he says: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus didn't just come for the time of His earthly ministry. He promised never to leave us or forsake us (Matthew 28:20) Instead of a cloud overhead or a fire in the sky, believers are indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
God is with you. He is not distant from you. You might be distant from Him due to sin or neglect or spiritual lethargy but if you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you (James 4:8). And God will lead you. The Holy Spirit will guide you through difficult decisions. The Holy Spirit can empower you in impossible situations. God will give you words when you don't know what to say. God's presence is powerful. Don't take it for granted!