The Presence of the Lord

When the Word of the Lord came to Jonah, asking him to go to Nineveh to cry out against it, Jonah decided to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But as we see the story unfolding, we can well understand that he was not able to escape from His presence at all! David observed this in Psalm 139. David says that God knew everything about him, even his sitting down and his rising up. God understood even his thoughts and his words even before he could speak! Psalm 139:7,8 says, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? ​​If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there". So, Jonah could not escape from the presence of God!

The Bible shows us another picture through the vision of Ezekiel in Ezekiel Chapters 8-10. The Spirit of God took Ezekiel in visions of God to Jerusalem and showed him the abominations committed by the people of God. The people thought that the Temple guaranteed their security. They did not realize that their wicked deeds had caused God to leave His Temple. Ezekiel 10: 18 says, "Then the Glory of God departed from the threshold of the temple…"

The Bible says we are the Temple of the Lord. If there is sin in our hearts, if we wantonly seek the pleasures of sin, we will lose the presence of God. While God loves the sinner, He cannot and will not accept sin. The Lord cautions, "be ye holy for I am holy". We have to give an account of our every word and action on the final judgment day! But God does not force Himself on us. He waits until we realize our sin and deal with it.

My friend, do not take any sin lightly. It will start in a small way but take your soul to hell. The devil always fills us with his lies. The book of Ezekiel does not end on a negative note. In the last vision, Ezekiel saw the Glory of the Lord return to the new Temple. Ezekiel 43:2 says, "And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east." The moment we confess our sins, the presence of the Lord will fill our hearts and minds and restore us. That is His Promise!

Categories: Weekly DevotionalsAuthor: Hephzibah StephenDate: 29th May 2018 Share: newsletterDisplay date: 30th May 2018

---