Exodus 33:3
“Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.”
To have something, and then to lose it must leave the emptiest feeling. To know the joy and fulfillment of experiencing one’s presence, and then to know that they will no longer be with you is a terrible feeling. Several times in the Scriptures I see where someone experienced the presence of God and then lost it. Each time it left an empty feeling.
In the verse above, God told the children of Israel that He would no longer “go up in the midst of thee.” Imagine what the children of Israel must have felt. They saw God work in their midst in the land of Egypt. They saw God deliver them from Pharaoh’s hand. They saw God part the Red Sea and go before them. They saw God send manna from Heaven every day. They knew what it was like to have the presence of God. Yet, God said He would no longer be in their presence. Oh, the emptiness this left. This emptiness was there all because of sin.
I think of Samson who knew what it was like to have the presence of God. From his birth, Samson had God’s mighty power upon his life. He was set apart by God to deliver the children of Israel from the Philistines. He felt God’s presence working in his life several times as he defeated Israel’s greatest enemy. He knew the satisfying feeling that God’s presence gave. Yet, because he never dealt with his sin, he lost the presence, and the emptiness that it left must have been great.
I think of Saul who in the beginning years of his reign experienced the presence of God. He experienced God’s presence in such a manner that he prophesied when others could not. He knew what it was like to have God’s presence. Yet, one act of disobedience left him without the presence of God. One act of sin left an emptiness that he never got back.
We could talk of the disciples on the road to Emmaus who knew God’s presence, and in a moment it was gone. We could talk of Judas Iscariot who experienced that presence, and in an act of greed he lost it. To have the presence of God, and then lose it because of sin can leave an empty feeling.
Friend, don’t ever take for granted God’s presence in your life. No, you will never lose your salvation, but you can lose that sweet power of God on your life. If you know what it’s like to have God work through you, I implore you not to take that presence for granted.
Always realize that it only takes one act of sin to lose the presence of Almighty God. No, you won’t lose your salvation, but you will lose the sweet power of God on your life. To know what it’s like to have God’s power, and then for there to be that emptiness of the absence of God’s power is a terrible feeling.
Before you ever choose to sin, ask yourself if you are willing to lose the presence of God’s power in your life. God is not obligated to empower you again, so don’t do something that would cause you to lose His sweet power. I encourage you today to be sure that there is nothing between you and the Saviour. If there is, remove it so you don’t lose His presence in your life. Don’t ever give God a reason to say that He will no longer be in your midst. Always live your life so that God will want to be in your midst because you make Him feel welcome.