DAY 42 Encouragement

Now all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the smoking mountain, and as [they] looked they trembled with fear and fell back and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die. And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come to prove you, so that the [reverential] fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin. And the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.    Exodus 20:18-21

Oh, the heart and desire of Moses!  Moses knew Jesus like no other man; he spoke face to face as would friends.  Moses desired the presence of God because he wanted to know the will of the Lord, the ways of the Lord, and the desires of the Lord.  Moses wanted to be a great leader for his people, and he knew he couldn't do it without the presence of the Lord.  Moses refused to move without the presence of the Lord; he only moved when the Presence moved.  Moses knew that he could do nothing without specific direction from the Lord and His constant accompaniment.  Moses never assumed he understood everything or always knew the right answer.  He always sought the presence of the Lord, entered the Presence, and spoke with God!

The people, however, were severely frightened of the Presence.  Even when Moses told them to not fear, they still wanted nothing to do with God's direct instruction.  They chose a man over their God.  Today, it is often the same.  People in the church want the pastor or other minister to tell them what God is saying for the day instead of entering the Presence themselves and learning from the mouth of the One Who created them, loves them, redeemed them, and chose them.  People today are afraid of the Presence.  They'd rather chew the regurgitation of someone else instead of bite the fresh word directly from Him.

Truly, the pastor and ministers are extremely important to the body, obviously.  They have been appointed to help the body mature into the full measure of the stature of Christ.  Yet, each individual has the responsibility of their own personal relationship with the Lord.  You will never mature without the intention and pursuit of entering the presence of God on a regular basis.  Not the outer courts; not the inner courts; but the Holy of Holies!  Jesus tore the veil and made a way for each and every one of us to enter and experience the Awesomeness of Him and His presence!

Now Moses used to take [his own] tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people].  And everyone who sought the Lord went out to [that temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp. When Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people rose and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses. And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door. And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent.

Exodus 33:7-11

Everyone had access to this tent of meeting.  Obviously, others besides Moses even went to the tent.  Yet, notice the people's interest when Moses went to the tent of meeting.  Everyone watched him go, watched him enter, watched the presence of the Lord descend to the tent, and worshiped from afar.  Didn't one of them at least desire to enter into that Presence?  They obviously knew something "big" happened every time Moses entered that tent, and they knew that God met him there and spoke with him.  They knew enough to at least "worship from afar" when the Presence descended, but why didn't they press further?

It saddens me to note that this very thing continues to happen in the house of God even though there are no restrictions or hindrances from God's perspective.  The presence of God enters a house of worship when His people have gathered, and one or two or ten enter in while the others marvel at the ones who enter the Presence.  Yet, the "worshipers from afar" never press any further than their tent doors.  All the while the cloud has descended, and those who have entered are experiencing the friendship, love, and communion of their God.  They are being refreshed, receiving new vision, getting an answer to their prayers, and obtaining healing.  Why don't the people press past their fears, their preconceived notions, and their wrong ideas, and enter the very presence of their God?

Do you notice who else was with Moses in the presence of God?  Joshua, son of Nun.  When it was time to enter the Promised Land, who did God pick to be the new leader of His people?  Joshua, son of Nun.

Joshua knew God personally.  He had experienced Him multiple times in the tent of meeting with Moses and without Moses.  When Moses was done, Joshua would stay behind, lingering in the presence of God.  God knew that Joshua could lead His people because Joshua knew the Presence.  Joshua, like Moses, knew that the instruction of the Lord came in His presence.  There would be no fear that Joshua couldn't lead His people because Joshua knew God!

Oh, the presence of the Lord!  Don't fear it.  Don't analyze it.  Don't try to understand it.  Don't wait for others to enter it.  Don't let your failings keep you from it.  Don't think it's unnecessary.  Enter it!  Press in past the walls of this world and the entanglements of life, and experience God personally, powerfully, and intimately!