Resting in the Presence of God (Oct 28)

Verses for the day

• Psalm 139:5-7 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit!

Thoughts

I started listening to a new series of messages on my morning run today. The title is “Abraham, living by faith on a Rocky Road.” Here’s a link if you are interested. (Abraham – Living by Faith on a Rocky Road) Charles Price was talking about the Father’s call on Abraham. When He called Abraham He didn’t tell him where He wanted Him to go, nor how to get there. The Father simply said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.” (Gen 12:1)

If your Father told you that, what would be your first question? “Where are we going?” “How are we going to get there.” The Father didn’t give him any of that information. He simply said, “Go… because I am going to make you a great nation and bless all the earth through you!” “So Abram departed as the Father instructed!” (Gen 12:4)

When we left for the mission field with the 3 of you, you had no idea where we were going, how we were going to get there, nor how long we’d be there. But, you weren’t worried about it. YOu weren’t anxious, they didn’t question “Mom and Dad, what are you doing to us??” As long as mom and dad were there, you were at rest, safe in the care of mom and dad’s love and care for you.

This is the picture our Father paints of Abraham here. It doesn’t talk about Him taking the journey with Abraham, but we know He was leading Him and that He was with Him. (Gen 12:7-8)

In Psalm 139:5-7 we read from David, “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! I can never escape from your Spirit!”

David continues in Psalm 139:16-18 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O Father. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Our Father is watching over both the evil and the good (Prov 15:3) But more than that, He is with us, every step of the way. Romans 13:14 reminds us to “clothe ourselves with the Father’s presence, and don’t let yourselves think about ways to indulge your own desires.” When we clothe ourselves with His presence, when we recognize that He is with us every step of the way, it should cause us to pursue His desire, pursue His plan and His will, and not our own! Because that’s where the peace and the rest is found.

Can you imagine if, as we started our journey to the mission field, you guys would have said, “No, I don’t want to get on that plane to Manila, I’m going to get on the plane heading to Hawaii.” That’s crazy. You would never even have thought to do that, because you completely trusted mom and dad and how we were following God. So, why do we as adults not treat our heavenly Father like that?

Prayer

O father, how often have we complained and grumbled about the journey you are taking us on? How often have we looked at the departure board and thought, “But Daddy, I want to go to Hawaii” when our Father is taking us to Manila?

Father, you want us just enjoy being in your presence. No matter where we are, or where you are taking us, just to rest in your presence, without any thought of pursuing our own desires.

But, we like our desires. We have lots of plans of what we want to do. May you teach us to rest in the confidence that where you are taking us is for our very best, and the best way to fulfill your plan! Just like Abram, the result you intended was that through Abram’s obedience, you would bless the world! May we desire to be your instruments to bless the world around us too!