Yearn For God's Presence

Day 78

Reading: 1 Sam. 4:1 - 1 Sam. 7:17

The greatest hunger or desire we all should crave with our deepest longings is the Presence of God. This is what distinguishes us from other religions. God the Almighty walking with us. He's not an idol I go to prostrate to and I leave as I found him. God is the Omnipresent Being, who is everywhere and desires to make Himself known to humanity. In revealing Himself as God, the Great I Am, Jehovah, Yahweh,   Almighty, an invite is being given to humanity to walk with Him. When you carry the Presence of God every enemy must bow.

Today's reading covers an interesting time in the history of the children of Israel. The Ark of the Covenant was the carrier/representation of the manifestation of the glory of God. Remember that when the Ark was made and dedicated, the glory of God descended and dwelt in it. In the instructions God gave Moses, He told Moses that He would sit on the mercy seat above the Ark. Aaron was advised to never approach the Ark without regard for or he would die. 

The children of Israel understood that the Ark was what represented the manifest Shekinah glory of God.  As I read this portion of scripture God reminded me that His children today are the Ark, carriers of His Presence and His desire is that they have the laws of the Spirit inscribed on the tablets of their hearts. You and I are the carriers of God's Presence. You are the Ark of His covenant if you are a child of God. The Ark was a vessel made according to the specifications of God and anointed for use. Let me share what I learned from the today's readings.

1. Don't just assume that God is with you in a battle you didn't consult Him. The children of Israel lost to the Philistines and then decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant. They shouted so loudly when the Ark arrived that the earth shook however they lost again. They brought God on the scene before asking Him if they should even be there first. So many believers scream in the Presence of God and go out to work and lose. Please don't reduce God to a mop-up cleaner exercise role in your life. Give God the due reverence by honouring Him. This means consulting God on everything, not as an afterthought. 
2. God seeks those who honour Him. Eli's sons came accompanying the Ark to the battlefield yet they didn't honour God. They loved the glamour of the priesthood but didn't live in accordance with the precepts of the Word of God for those whose responsibility was to tend the Tabernacle where the Ark resided. You honour God when you abide by His commandments. 
3. Many today wouldn't know if the Presence of God has departed from their lives. They know the routine of the House of God, however, they are far from God. Religion doesn't carry the Presence of God. Be careful that you are not religious and forget that you need to seek for God, not His representations. Such people experience an Ichabod season where the glory they once knew departs from their lives. 
4. God's Presence cannot dwell with idols. The Philistines placed the Ark next to their god. They discovered that the Ark was not a collector's item that they could suddenly put it beneath Dagon. God is God and every idol bows to Him. Live a pure life and flee every impurity. Invite the Presence of God and watch every idol bow. 
5. Handle God's Presence with holiness, love and with an understanding of God's boundaries. The Philistines were judged by God for taking the Ark where it was not to be kept. The Ark was not a trophy and for the 7 months, the Philistines held on the Ark they suffered. God doesn't need a man to fight for Him. He is more than well able to contend for Himself that is why He is God. When the Ark was returned the children of Israel opened the Ark, which was unlawful. Only the priests could handle the Ark of the Covenant. Be careful of what God has given you. Treasure the Presence of God and walk uprightly to stay in tune with God. 
6. Seek, hunger for the Presence of God continually. The Ark on being returned to Israel wasn't returned to the Tabernacle. It was instead kept at Kirjath Jearim where it stayed for 20 years. Until the cried out to God, they never heard from God. It was when they sought the Lord that Samuel speaks the prophetic direction from Heaven. 
7. Maintain your watchtower by offering prayer to God. Mizpah, the place where the children of Israel cried to God in repentance and asked Samuel to pray for them for deliverance from the Philistines. Mizpah means watchtower in Hebrew. Run to the watchtower for refuge and safety. Understand that God is a Watchtower our place of refuge in times of trouble. The Ark was at Kirjath Jearim while the children of Israel were summoned to Mizpah by Samuel. There God showed up for them and thundered over the Philistines. 

Do you want to carry the Presence of God? Then surrender your life to God alone. Be totally dedicated to Him. Hunger for God. Long for His Presence. To be a carrier of God's Presence we need to die to ourselves and live for Him alone. God desires that we be carriers of His Presence in this day and age. Can you imagine if what took place when Dagon fell down when the Ark was in the temple of the idol Dagon if we saw the same results on our streets, businesses, schools, universities, government offices, marriages, everywhere we go? Only when we carry the Presence of God in accordance with His design shall we see the Shekinah glory of God fill all that concerns us. May the glory of God permeate all that concerns us. 

Memory Verse: 1 Sam. 7:3

Decree:

Lord, I repent of every idol I have harboured in my life. I dedicate my life to You alone. I repent of not walking upright in accordance with Your Word. Lord, I ask that You would have mercy and that by the Blood of the Lamb You will make me a carrier of Your Presence. Lord, as I make this prayer thunder over my enemies and scatter them in Jesus name. Amen.