Presence

Written by cycleguy on October 8th, 2015

http://media1.razorplanet.com/share/510709-7413/resources/church_alive_rebuilt1315338843.png

It is the desire of every church worship to have a sense of the presence of God.

It is also common for many churches to never experience that during a worship gathering.

One of the things Moses asked for on the mountain was “Show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)  God said, “Yes, but no one can see my face and live.” So Moses was hid in the cleft of the rock as He passed by. Each week those of us who gather together under one roof to worship ought to have those same words on our lips: “Please, show me your glory.”

There are actually two terms to consider in this whole thing: transcendence and manifest presence.

Transcendence speaks of God’s “being there for us.” When God says, “I am with you always,” He literally means He is with us always.

Manifest presence is taking that to a whole ‘nother level. Manifest presence is what Moses experienced on the mountain. His face shown…so much so that he covered it with a veil. The late Charles Spurgeon, British pastor, once said, “Moses spent the first 40 years of his life thinking he was a somebody; then he spent the next 40 years of his life as a nobody; finally, he spent the last 40 years of his life seeing what God can do with a nobody.”

What changed Moses? His encounter with a burning bush? Sure. Not the bush per se, but what it represented. Moses caught a glimpse of the glory of God in that moment, but on the mountain it was full-on-force!

This is not an easy subject to preach about because many have never heard this before. That makes it all the more “interesting.”  🙂   Have you ever heard about this or thought about it? Thanks for praying for me this weekend.

I’m still open to sharing my Amazon wish-list with anyone who wants to know. 63 years is a lot of years.  🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

 

10 Comments so far ↓

  1. Daniel says:

    Hope you day was great and you felt special and appreciated from those who matter most to you. I will be praying for you in my morning devotionals.

  2. Arny Sanchez says:

    Happy Birthday Again…

    This is one of my favorite moments of the bible…

    The Glory that Moses could only catch a glimpse of which wrecked him…
    IS the Glory behind the Veil that was broken!
    and now lives in us through Jesus Christ!
    Seeking this truth is life changing…
    His presence can start to become an addiction… a longing…
    as it should be…
    And it’s Beyond Overwhelming…
    As it shown on Moses Face…
    I now should shown in our Lives…

  3. Jeff says:

    I have heard of it and thought about it. I just don’t have that much imagination.

  4. floyd says:

    I’ve pondered it a bit over the years. What always strikes me is the humility that the ones God used to pen His words come to when it comes time to put the Truth of God into words.

    Moses tells the parts of his story that show his human side; him wearing that veil long after the radiance had faded from his face is an example. Like Job that tells of his lack of obedience and utter foolishness in trying to out run God who holds the world in His hand.

    Maybe the Holy Spirit is pushing me in a direction that I need to keep learning?!

    Praying for you, Bill. And thanks for your humility…

  5. I love the quote from Charles Spurgeon about Moses. God can certainly use nobodies to move the mountains He wants moved!
    Again, have a happy birthday, Bill, and I’ll keep you in prayer!

  6. Betty Draper says:

    I just read this today in “The Emotionally Destructive Relationship”. WE don’t need more knowledge, we need more PRESENCE. I think I am going to park on that part of the book for a while. Praying for your message. There a song called, Don’t Let Me Miss The Glory, powerful message. All too I miss it because I want my way and not His at any cost. I want the doing instead of the being, I want the glory and not the humility. Been singing this all day, Little Is Much When God Is In It. Good post brother.

  7. Ed says:

    I think what changed Moses the most was his steadfast addiction to his friendship with God. =)

  8. cycleguy says:

    Happy Birthday tall guy! May you have many more Thanks for all you have done and will do and be for OVCF. May your bicycle tires never wear out —lol! Sally

  9. Peter says:

    Appreciate your heart and where you are leading us. Praying that our congregation is a place where we are fully aware of the presence of God, and hungry for more!

  10. Linda Stoll says:

    ‘show me Your glory.’

    yes, yes. that’s the church I want to worship in, to do community with, to serve under.

    His glory.

    Amen, Bill.