If Your Presence Does Not Go With Us

Scripture: Exodus 33:15

Song: Nothing like Your Presence Lord

“And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”

Moses had reached the point where he understood something terrifying: a man can still be making progress and still be lost.

Israel was heading toward a land flowing with milk and honey, yet Moses was no longer excited about the land itself, because what is a promised land when the Presence that preserves men is absent?

God had already told them to continue the journey, but Moses knew they would become vulnerable without Him. The wilderness was full of dangers, enemies, uncertainty, battles they could not survive by strength alone. The Presence of God was not decoration for the journey; it was their survival. Without God among them, they would become prey.

Moses’ cry in this verse was not from a place of wanting to sound spiritual, he was desperate. He knew what it meant for God to go ahead of them, to cover them, defend them, restrain enemies, guide decisions, and preserve them from destruction. Because there are battles intelligence cannot discern, traps human eyes cannot detect, and seasons where experience, connections, money, and confidence cannot carry you through.

A life outside His presence is exposed.

Many people think they only need God for breakthrough, but there comes a point where a man realizes he needs God to breathe rightly, think rightly, choose rightly, and remain safe. Without Him, even what looks harmless can destroy a person slowly. Moses understood this and would rather remain in the wilderness with God than enter Canaan without Him.

The greatest tragedy is to keep moving without the Presence of God.

So let this cry rise again from your heart:
Lord, I do not just need Your blessings, I need You around me, before me, behind me, within me. Do not let me walk through life without the covering of Your Presence.

Prayer:
Lord, never let me become comfortable without Your Presence. I am too weak to survive this life alone, go before me, preserve me from hidden dangers, and do not allow me to become exposed to battles beyond me. Let Your Presence remain my covering, my guide, and my safety. Amen.