Throughout the Bible, we are shown the certainty that “God is” and that the help we need is in His presence. When God revealed Himself to Moses, He said, “I AM WHO I AM.” God is the Eternal One. The great “I AM” is the absolute solution for all our need. As far back as we can go in history, people have found peace, safety and supply in God’s presence. After Cain killed his brother, he went out from the presence of the Lord, (Genesis 4:16). When Jonah sinned, he arose to flee from the presence of the Lord, (Jonah 1:3). It cost dearly to go from the presence of the Lord. I want to show you the vast blessing and help we gain when we dwell in the presence of the Almighty God. In Psalms 91, David talks about the safety of abiding in God’s presence.
Psalm 91:1-4 NKJV He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
One of the most visible manifestations of God’s presence was witnessed when He led the people out of Egyptian bondage.
About 600 thousand Israelite men 20 years or older, besides the women and children, journeyed from Rameses to Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.
Exodus 13:21-22 NKJV And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
It was under the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire that Israel learned God’s presence.
They had a visual experience of what David was talking about. “Those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Under the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, Israel found a refuge and fortress.
Psalm 121:5-8 NKJV The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.
Can you imagine the shock and awe they experienced when the presence of God appeared to Moses and the children of Israel?
One moment they are in Egyptian bondage, and God tells them that He is going to bring them out with a strong arm. God always had a plan to bring His people out of bondage. When all they could see was darkness and death, God let them know that He was present. God gave the promise to their father Abraham that they would be brought out with great possessions. Even when they lost sight of God’s care and ability to deliver His people, God had not abandoned them. They did not know that God was watching over them throughout those 430 years in Egypt, (Exodus 12:40).
1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NKJV Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
The shadow of His presence was the thing that distinguished His people from all of the peoples of the world. Throughout their journeys, God’s presence, protection, and provision was a testimony that they were the people of God. In Exodus 32, at the base of Mount Sinai, the people had sinned and God told Moses to depart from that place. Even though they had sinned, God was faithful to His promise.
Exodus 33:3 NKJV Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”
Moses and all of the people knew that they could not go up unless God was with them.
So Moses entered into the tabernacle and the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door, and the Lord talked with Moses, (Exodus 33:9). When the people saw the pillar of cloud, they knew that God’s presence had come down and Moses was talking with God.
Exodus 33:12-14 NKJV Then Moses said to the Lord, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people.’ But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.’ Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Moses and the people knew that the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud was a visible sign of the presence of God.
Exodus 33:15-16 NKJV Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
In God’s presence the people knew that they had the help that they needed. Safety does not consist in the absence of danger but in the presence of God. They were going to go from victory into victory because God was with them.
When you abide under the shadow of the Almighty, you will find His loving and powerful protection.
Psalms 91 shows us the blessed benefit of abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. When you make the Most High your dwelling place, you can expect His covering protection. You may face the greatest battles and difficulties of your life, but God is with you. Those who abide under His shadow find God to be a refuge and fortress. When enemies boast of great power and strength, God is our deliverer from the snare and pestilence. He covers us with His feathers and shelters us with His wings. His faithful promises are our armor and protection. In the night time He will be a light and in the day He will shelter you from the heat. Those who abide in His presence do not have to fear the disease that stalks in darkness or the disaster that strikes in the day. Just open your eyes and see the reward of God.
In Deuteronomy 28 God made the promise, “Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants.” “All of God’s blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God; Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the country…” “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”
If you make the Lord your refuge and shelter, no evil will conquer you and no plague will come near your home. The Lord of Hosts will command His angels and they will protect you wherever you go. Because you have made the Most High your dwelling place, you will trample upon lions and cobras and crush them under your feet. Because you trust in His name and love Him, God will answer your prayer and be with you in trouble and rescue you.
That is why Moses prayed, “If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”
Follow the Israelites from Succoth to the base of Mount Sinai and through the wilderness and you will see the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud. God’s presence was going with His people. Because God was in the camp, they defeated the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s armies. They defeated the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites. They were sheltered from the heat and the cold. They found the water and manna they needed to sustain life and prosper under the shadow of God’s presence.
Numbers 21:34 NKJV Then the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land…”
After Moses had died, God spoke to Joshua and gave him a message that you need to hear today. You need to know that God is still available to His people.
Joshua 1:5-7 NKJV No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
With confidence, Joshua led Israel into God’s promises. God made a promise that Joshua could stand on.\
God said, “I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Take that promise into the New Testament and the believer’s life. “All of the promises of God are yes, and in Him amen, to the glory of God through us,” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
Hebrews 13:5-6 NKJV For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
God determined to show beyond doubt His unchangeable purpose and plan by intervening for those who flee to Him for refuge. Our hope is sure and steadfast in the Presence of God. To help believers remain strong, Jesus made a promise of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:16-17 NKJV And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
Through the continued presence of the Holy Spirit, believers will be strengthened. In response to Christ’s message, 120 believers were gathered together in an upper room on the Day of Pentecost. They were waiting for the Promise of the Father which Jesus said would come upon them. All of a sudden, the presence of God filled the room where they were assembled in a way they never expected.
Acts 2:2-3 NKJV And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
The manifestation of God’s presence was reminiscent of the pillar of fire over the children of Israel. This time there was a sound of a rushing mighty wind that filled the house where they were sitting, and all of a sudden fire. Fire appeared in the room and divided and sat upon each of them. The presence of God was in the room.
Acts 2:4 NKJV And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Just as Jesus promised, each of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38-39 NKJV Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
Jesus said, “When the Holy Spirit comes, He will be your Helper and Guide.” His abiding presence will be with you and in you. The promise is for you and your children. You can have strong boldness and confidence through the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
