Daily devotion – His presence
Exo 33:11 So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
This is my favourite verse in the Bible as many of you know. It’s my favourite because when Moses left from the tent of meeting, Joshua decided he would stay on. He loved just being in the presence of God. This is why I love Church, being with God’s people, together with God. Sometimes, I would like us to just sit quietly in God’s presence, not uttering a word, not moving around. Simply resting in God’s wonderful presence.
Helen and I lived in Dunsborough at one time, and I used to go fishing early some Saturday mornings on my own to get some fish for breakfast whilst Helen tendered to our first born son Israel. On one of those occasions, I was alone at the beautiful Meelup Beach. Not a soul around just all alone.
I was praying, talking quietly to God whilst I waited with my fishing rod, line in the water, hoping for a bite. This one morning, I sensed that I was not alone. That God was indeed with me in that bay all by myself. I remember at that time being very tentative to look to the right of me, for I was sure that Jesus was standing right beside me, such was this moment of sensing God’s presence!
I have never experienced such a moment as that again, but that one time was enough to stay with me even until this present day. I am not recommending this be an experience for all but I am sharing this with you because God is very real in His presence with each of us.
The Apostle John wrote the following words that describe what he sensed when he walked with Jesus – 1 John 1: 1 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.
As we wait to be raptured, to meet the Lord in the air, as Paul taught us in 1 Thessalonians 4, I consider that day at Meelup Beach, to be a sample of what we will all experience when we are taken to be with the Lord for eternity.
It will be amazing! Heaven will touch us in ways that we will need new bodies to cope – 1 Corinthians 15: 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
I am so looking forward to that day like Joshua did, for we will never leave God’s presence ever again from that moment on!