If Your Presence Does Not Go With Us….

Daily Devotional – Tuesday, March 15, 2022

 …If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

Exodus 33:15 (NKJV)

From a tender age, my siblings and I learned to pray before embarking on a journey. We wanted journey mercies, success for our missions, God’s approval and His presence.

Moses did the same in his leadership. The Israelites were stubborn and rebellious. At one point, the wanted to march to Canaan without God’s approval. God told them to God but His Presence could not go with them.

Moses knew the consequences of leaving God behind. He approached God and made this unequivocal statement: “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here” (Exodus 33:15).  

Unless the LORD Builds the House

If God did not accompany the Israelites to Canaan, they would not leave the wilderness. We must remember that Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey as opposed to the hardships of the Sinai desert.

How about us today? How many times do we embark on journeys, projects and initiatives that God has not approved only for us to fail and regret leaving out God? What is the fate of relationships that God has not sanctioned?

Seeking God’s Presence

In a psalm written by Solomon, we read, “Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” (Psalms 127:1).

As you plan your life and set your goals, ask God to go with you. Let your days begin with thanksgiving, supplication and Bible study. Unless the Lord approves your journey, stay where you are.

Lord Jesus, may Your Presence go with me today and always.