And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Exodus 33:14
I remember as a child celebrating my aunt and uncle’s anniversary over the years.
They lived near us, and my aunt and uncle made it a point to celebrate well, always giving glory to God for everything.
And it seemed fitting to me to choose their Wedding Text as the verse of the day.
It just so happens that my cousin and his wife are coming to visit this afternoon.
Part of the reason this Bible Verse is so meaningful is that my aunt and uncle were immigrating to Canada after their wedding.
I believe their wedding text was actually Exodus 33:15, which states, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Moses was expressing to God the need the Israelites had for His Presence to go with them into the wilderness towards the promised land of Canaan.
Moses was expressing their desperate need for God to go with them.
He did not want to go anywhere without the LORD leading them, guiding them, and blessing them.
God had just promised in Exodus 33:14, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
But Moses was confirming His need for His God and his refusal to go without the Lord’s presence.
I have often thought that was a beautiful Bible Verse to have chosen for their Wedding Text.
The thing is, my parents explained to me that in those days they could not choose their own Wedding Text.
Their minister chose it for them. They didn’t have a say.
Perhaps that was a good thing for many. Regardless, there couldn’t have been a more fitting verse chosen for my beloved aunt and uncle.
They had a double wedding with my aunt and uncle. They lived in High River Alberta all their years and I only met them once or twice. Naturally, it was a good choice of wedding text for them as well!
So as you think about those words from Scripture, And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” What comes to mind for you?
Are you comforted in knowing God made this promise to Moses and the Israelites?
Do you realize those words have meaning for you as one who believes in God also?
Do you experience God’s presence going with you daily? As His Spirit lives on the inside of us, we have His presence with us. Yet, as we call upon God’s name in prayer, we also invite Him to go with us with our words.
Is it so for you? If not, I exhort you gently, to ask God to go with you daily.
He hears the prayers of those who believe. God wants to help us and lead us if only we will let Him.
My greatest joy in life is having God’s presence go with me each day.
He is the joy of my heart and my delight. How about you?
As we seek Him, we will find him. (Jeremiah 29:13) The more you seek, the more you get to know God. Let us seek Him with all our hearts, all the days of our lives.
My aunt and uncle did that. My parents did that. All the Saints in glory did that.
And you know my parents are gone now, living in God’s actual presence in heaven for eternity now and forevermore.
Both sets of aunts and uncles that had a double wedding so many years ago are also gone from this earth now… living in the one and only God’s presence, light radiating brightly in their perfect home.
We have this chance now, dear reader, to ask God’s presence to lead us all our days. Those good, bright summer days, and those hard and dreadful days no one wants to live out alone.
God is real, His presence is real, and it makes all the difference.
Won’t you call upon Him today to go with you… wherever the Spirit of God leads?
I will do the same. Every day until God calls me to my perfect home in eternity with Him.