His Presence Over His Promises

“I had plans…” – These were the words I said as I sobbed on the phone with my best friend.

But you see, it takes only a split second for a shift to occur then you realize that you’ve held on to the promises of God a little too much than a desire for his presence.

In this season of the COVID-19 outbreak, I have found myself being able to relate with different characters of the bible, from Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and the Israelites – just to name a few. At some point in the lives of the mentioned, they were given promises – their expectations of what purpose and their lives should look like was communicated to them by God.

But Moses understood something integral about the presence of God. In Exodus 33, after God had asked Moses to take the Israelites to the promised land, Moses was only willing to go on such a mission only if the presence of God led the way (Exodus 33 v 15).

You would think that just being told that a promised land was prepared for the Israelites would have been enough for Moses to get on his way, but he knew that only the presence of God could bring about the promise.

If I had to ask Moses why he explicitly requested for the presence of God, I believe he would say the following:

• Without the presence of God, there would be no promised land – Moses understood that there was no way that the Israelites will enjoy the promised land without the one who promised it. He knew this from his experience in Egypt- how God brought them out despite the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart.

• The presence of God revealed identity – Moses understood that who the Israelites needed to be, could only be found in the presence of God. He remembered that the reason that God delivered them from Egypt was to worship him (Exodus 9 v 1). He understood that the promised land was a by-product of the presence of God.

• The presence of God is the difference – Moses knew that the presence of God was the guarantee of seeing the promised land. He knew that the presence of God came with ease to conquer the obstacles in the way of the promised land. He had a reference from how God parted the red sea and the covering from the plagues.

Personal Takeaway from Moses’ Request

Moses’ request revealed his heart posture – God (his presence) was more important than the promised land. He acknowledged that the giver of the gift was more important than the gift. In all honesty, I have experienced the mercy of God as he has shown me my heart – I have given more importance to the promises of God, a little more than God’s presence. I have found myself frustrated at God’s timeline, disappointed with doors he has closed and opened, indifferent to purpose because of pain.

But thank God for his patience. I am understanding Moses’ heart posture – the presence of God is the promised land. The destination (the promises) are solely a fruit of the presence of God.

So, every day, I wake up yearning to be aware of the presence of God, and I pray you to do the same.