A missionary in Thailand told about a man who lived up a river. When he became a believer, he tore down the “spirit-house,” in front of his hut. A hurricane came in not long afterward and the whole village blamed the storm on the man for rejecting his tribal religion. When Roger returned and promised to help rebuild their village, the man ran to his people shouting, “Pajao malao . . .” which means, “God is here.”
How will we know the presence of God? When Israel obeyed and completed the tabernacle, God manifested himself in a cloud by day and in fire at night. Imagine the cloud covering the tent and the glory filling the tabernacle. Glory is the effulgence, the radiant outshining of God’s presence. God so filled the tabernacle that Moses could not get in. Lately, I have found myself praying these words, “Shekinah fall, shalom fill.” Let your glory fall and your peace fill us.
Once the Israelites discerned God’s presence they followed his lead. When God went, they went. When God stayed, they stayed. May this be our posture today. We pray with Moses in Exodus 33:15 “God if your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” God is with us today. Are we with God? Let’s cultivate a life of prayer in which we keep in step with his Holy Spirit (Gal 5:25). Pray for our church and for churches in our city that we will know God’s will and do it.
