Day 7

Devotion Bible reference: Exodus 24:1-25:9

This devotion today is about the “Presence” of God. Am I making my experience of “being in God’s presence,” vital to my “tenacious intercession” on behalf of others? What does this say about how real I have determined my proximity to God, to be? Beyond being in God’s presence, is the fact of God having dwelt among the Israelites after they built the Tabernacle in the desert. How can we achieve that level of communion with God today that He would grant us more than just the general blessing that Moses refused in Exodus 33:1-6, but instead to restore (rather than withdraw) His actual presence to us, and dwell among us? The tabernacle was a tent, intended to be a mobile dwelling place for the Lord while the Israelites were a nomadic people. Once the Israelites came to occupy actual buildings, so too did God. He commanded David and Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem. In the New Testament, God’s presence is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. John 1:14 “the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. If Jesus life is the temporary dwelling of God, then the permanent dwelling, the temple, is found in the gathering of the church (1 Cor. 3:16-17; Eph. 2:21-22).
Ephesians 2:21-22 (HCSB)
21 The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. 22 You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.
God still dwells with His people. The way to know that Presence in an ongoing sense is to gather with the people of God in worship, celebration, and prayer. God is there. If not, then there is nothing that makes us different than any other gathering of people. Let us continually seek His presence together.

As the LORD leads, pray with specific intent for members of your family each day

Prayer for my daughter: Thank God for the example she sets for her brothers and sister in her studies – and that she would be prepared for the things she does in school, able to recall the teaching she has been exposed to. That You would grant her wisdom beyond her years and intelligence that she could add to the gain for those around her, especially in her own family. Pray that above all else, You would be glorified in her actions, and that she would come to know the great significance of being one of Your own, and the benefits of the complete forgiveness extended to her through Your death on the cross.
Prayer for my wife: That she would have patience with the kids today, and that as she is in church that she would be able to comprehend the truth of Your word in the messages today – through Your Holy Spirit – that she would be able to come to know You as her Savior.