We desperately need His Presence

As you (hopefully) know, this week is a week of 24/7 prayer for us at The Bridge. That means that we have people praying for our church at every minute of every day throughout the week, and that we have set aside a whole bunch of times to worship and pray together. On Monday night, we had the first of three worship and prayer nights (the others being Wednesday and Friday).

As I drove to the church building that night, I thought about how to open up the evening. My mind kept turning to Exodus 33. The Israelites, having been recently set free from slavery in Egypt, have just participated in the “Golden Calf” incident, where they set up an idol and worshiped it as if it was a god. God is not happy about this. In fact, at one point it looks as if God is going to send Moses and the Israelites on ahead without Him. This prompts Moses to plead: “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” (33:15-16) To Moses’ great relief, the Lord’s reply is: “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” (33:17) The Lord even shows Moses His glory, though Moses can only handle a small sampling of it.

I resonate deeply with Moses’ plea. Lord, if you don’t go with us, we’ve got nothing. We can’t go out there and do anything without you. What sets us apart unless we have your presence? See, this is what sets us apart: the presence of God. What sets us apart is not our coffee, it’s not our songs, it’s not our marketing strategies, it’s not our building. What sets us apart is not even doing things like a 24/7 prayer week. If we are doing this just because it’s what we always do in September or so that we can check some things off our spiritual to-do list, it will accomplish nothing but a slightly inflated ego. We deeply, desperately need the presence of God. That’s what makes us different. It is when people experience the Lord’s presence that lives are changed. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is talking about the spiritual gift of prophecy. He paints a picture of Christians meeting together and receiving words from the Holy Spirit that they would have no way of knowing on their own. The result, Paul says, is that unbelievers “will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”” (14:25) What causes repentance and conversion? The presence of God among His people.

I resonate deeply with Moses’ plea, and I’m deeply encouraged by the Lord’s response too. “I know you by name”- and “I will do the very thing you have asked.” God wants to go with us. He knows us thoroughly and thoroughly wants to be with us. The very end of the Bible tells us that His presence will be the defining characteristic of eternity: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3) God wants to be present with us and is eager to honour requests like Moses’.

So here’s what it comes down to: do we want the Presence? He wants to be with us, but He wants us to want that! Do we hunger and thirst for His presence among us? Do we see that without His presence, nothing will truly set us apart in the world? Do we see that apart from His presence, there will be no power of transformation in us or through us? If you don’t have that desire, then ask for it. Cry out to the Lord for it! Don’t give up until He gives you a burning desire for His presence.

Let this hunger be the basis for our prayer and our worship this week at The Bridge. Don’t pray because you feel guilty if you don’t. Don’t come to worship nights because you feel obligated. Pray and worship this week because, like Moses, you don’t want to do anything without Him. Let us be a church that is desperate for Jesus to make Himself known to us and through us. As the Bible says in another context, “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)