During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, military chaplain Cary Cash served with the US military’s 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment as they battled their way to Baghdad. After the regiment secured Saddam Hussein’s Almilyah presidential palace, a young marine—ministered to by Cash—bowed and received Jesus as his Savior. Later, the chaplain baptized the young man in the inner sanctum of the palace. In his book A Table in the Presence, Cash writes: “A place that had been known for the presence of darkness and treachery had become a place of the presence of God—a table in the presence.”
God’s presence can be found wherever His people are present. But it hasn’t always been that way. In Exodus, we find Moses leading the Israelites from bondage in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land (Exodus 33:1). Along the way, Moses would set up a “tent of meeting” to consult with God—to be in His presence (Exodus 33:7). It’s interesting that Moses would have the tent set up outside of the camp.
Then God gave Moses some special plans for a new meeting place. It was called the tabernacle, and it was placed in the center of the camp (Numbers 2:17). Jesus, however, made it possible now by His sacrifice and the sending of the Holy Spirit for God to dwell in the center of our heart. The apostle Paul wrote, “This is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory” (Colossians 1:27).
No longer do we who believe in Jesus and have received salvation have to go outside to a tent or tabernacle to meet with God. God is with us! He’s within us! Every struggle, every victory, every prayer occurs in His presence.
Today, remember that you are in the very presence of God!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: 2 Samuel 11:1-27
More:
Read 2 Corinthians 6:16 to see what object Paul uses as a euphemism for our bodies and where he says God is present.
Next:
How has the fact that God “lives in you” changed the way you live? How does the presence of God affect those who experience it?
