Presence

 “And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” ”

Exodus 33:14 ESV


Moses knew that if God's presence didn't go with his people, they may as well have packed up and returned to slavery in Egypt. Likewise, if God doesn't presence himself with us, we may as well give up and seeking to reach the promised new creation. Thankfully, God promises to go with us.

We can't 'white knuckle' our way to glory. We can't 'pull ourselves up by our bootstraps'. We need the presence and leadership of God's Holy Spirit. 

I love how Jesus echoed this verse in the new testament. 'Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden', he urged, 'and I will give you rest'. Christ Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

As the writer to the Hebrews says, Jesus is himself our Sabbath rest. We don't need to stop on Saturdays, or on the Lord's Day of Sunday. We don't have to be legalistic about rest, turning it into a work, when we can rest in the finished work of Christ.

'Dear Lord, we thank you for your presence in our lives, by your Holy Spirit. We're grateful for the rest we enjoy in Christ. Help us trust in his death on our behalf, in his name, amen'.

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