How To Recognize God’s Presence in Your Life

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

God’s presence is available for one to dwell in but the question you must answer is whether or not you desire to dwell in His presence.

Introduction

How can you recognize God’s presence in your daily life?  There are certainly signs that can help you to easily recognize that God is with you!  So, I hope you will take a moment to join me for this week’s lesson, as God does not try to hide Himself from us.  This week’s Sunday School commentary will cover Exodus 33:12-23.

Moses Requests to Know God

In this passage of scripture, Moses makes three requests of the Lord that will help us recognize God’s presence in our lives.  Not only does Moses’ request help us to recognize God’s presence in our lives, but we also get some insight into how and who God moves for.  

The first request that Moses made to God was for the Lord to show him His way (Ex. 33:13).  Moses desired to ‘know’ God more intimately (closely) so that he could find grace in God’s eyes.  This is a desire and request that everyone should make of God if you desire to be in God’s presence for certain.

Inner peace in God’s presence

In response to his request, the Lord answered, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest (Ex. 33:14).”  Moses’ request is immediately answered, and God added that He would give Moses rest.  In scripture, when the Lord speaks of giving one rest, He is speaking to giving one peace of mind–peace within one’s soul.

The Lord’s response to Moses provides us with one of the first ways we can tell that the Lord is with us.  Having peace within your heart is a sign that the Lord dwells with you.  I will remind you of what Jesus told the disciples in John 14:27, when He said, “My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”

Jesus had told the disciples not to be troubled and that He would give them the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who dwells with all of those who are of sincere faith (John 14:26).  Therefore, we have fellowship with God through the inner dwelling of the Holy Spirit.  The role of the Holy Spirit is to lead and guide us into all truth.

Through the inner dwelling of the Holy Spirit, confusion is removed from the hearts of believers.  Through the inner dwelling of the Holy Spirit, worry and stress, uneasiness and unrest are removed from our soul, therefore, giving us certain peace.  This peace is peace from God, and again, it stands as a sign that the Lord dwells with you.

Does this mean that you will never worry?  No, absolutely not.  We are always going to worry because we are human after all.  Yet, worry is removed from our souls and we find comfort in the presence of God.

Moses Requests God’s Presence Among the People

Within that same verse, Exodus 33:13, Moses also made a request on behalf of the people.

For those of you thinking to yourself, ‘Israel is God’s chosen people’, you must know that Moses’ request followed the people’s sin at Mount Sinai.  God was so angry at them worshiping the calf of gold that He considered letting His wrath burn hot and consume them (Ex. 32:10).  In Exodus 33:3, God told Moses that He would not go in the midst of the people, lest He consume them, because they were a sinful people who struggled with turning away from sin.

This anger from the Lord also stands as a sign of who God will dwell with and who the Lord won’t dwell with.  Did you catch it?

God was happy to go and be with Moses because Moses desired to know Him.  God has always desired to be with mankind as that was why He made mankind in the first place.  However, the Lord makes it clear that He does not dwell with sin.  Therefore, those who desire to dwell in sin choose to dwell outside of fellowship with the Lord.

If you desire to dwell in God’s presence, you must commit yourself to obedient living.  This does not mean you have to be perfect as God already knows that we are incapable of being perfect.  Why else do you think that God tells us that He is merciful and gracious?  There is mercy and grace in the presence of God.

However, there is a grave danger in one choosing to dwell out of fellowship with God, which Moses understood well.  Moses’ intercession on behalf of the people was made because God had instructed Moses to depart from Mount Sinai and lead the people to the Promised Land (Ex. 33:1).  

Moses knew that it was God’s presence that had freed the children of Israel from Pharaoh’s bondage.  Moses knew that it was God’s presence that parted the Red Sea and made a way for the people on dry ground.  Moses understood very well that without God’s presence, the people would never reach the Promised Land (Ex. 33:15-16).

Moses’ concern for the people showed his love, faithfulness, and total dependence on God.  Moses knew that both he and the children of Israel needed God to be with them.  So, the Lord answered Moses’ second request, saying to him, “I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name (Ex. 32:17).” 

Moses’ Great Request

In his third request, Moses requested something that many have desired of the Lord.  Moses said to the Lord, “Please, show me your glory (Ex. 33:18).”

What’s interesting about this request is that Moses had already been in God’s presence and seen His glory on several occasions.  Moses stood in the presence of God when he stood at the burning bush that was not consumed by the fire (Ex. 3:2-6).  When Moses went into the mountain to receive the stone tablets, God’s cloud of glory had enveloped the top part of the mountain that Moses entered (Ex. 24:16-18). 

Moreover, Moses and all the children of Israel could see that God was with them as God led them by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.  Then, when Moses would enter the tabernacle, he would meet “face to face” with God (Ex. 33:11).

Again, it wasn’t like Moses had never been in the presence of God nor seen God’s glory before.  So, what exactly was Moses requesting when he requested that God show him His glory?  Moses had a desire to see God’s true form.  I repeat, Moses desired to know God as intimately as he possibly could, and seeing God’s true form is as intimate as one can get!

God could have completely rejected this request from Moses.  The reason why God could have rejected this request is because God had told Moses that nobody could see His face and live (Ex. 33:20).  Some often take that statement to mean that if God revealed His true form to anyone, they would physically die.  Movies have even been made about one not being able to withstand God’s glory!

Yet, as I referenced earlier, Moses met ‘face to face’ with God in the tabernacle, often.  Those meetings were more of Moses entering the tabernacle that was filled with God’s cloud of glory, just like on Mount Sinai.  Moses certainly lived when being in the presence of God.

What I take God’s saying of nobody can see His face and live to mean is that no one in the flesh can comprehend His complete form.  Our mortal eyes cannot comprehend (understand) the true form of God; it would overwhelm us.  While we may not be able to comprehend His true form today, the Revelation of Christ does show us that one day, we will behold His glory when we become like Him.

The Rewards of Being in God’s Presence

Though Moses could not comprehend God’s true form, God did not deny his request!  The Lord said to Moses, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you (Ex. 33:19).”  The Lord then pointed to a place where He would pass before Moses and permit him to get a glimpse of His back.

If you ever wonder whether or not God is with you, I would genuinely tell you to consider the signs that He is with you.  Now, when I say to consider the signs, I don’t want you looking to the skies for something extravagant, or trying to sense a warm, fuzzy feeling washing over you.  God’s presence is always with those who sincerely believe, as His Spirit abides with all of us who are of faith.  

As I mentioned earlier in this commentary, Moses endured tribulation, and through his tribulation, he realized that God made a way for him and the children of Israel.  I recently preached a sermon – God Has a Plan – where I spoke about how God reveals Himself to us through our tribulations.  You see, in all of our afflictions, we endure and overcome not because of our own strength and might, but because of God’s sovereignty.

As with Moses, you can tell that God’s presence is with you through your prayer life.  When you talk to God, God will respond to you.  When you make your request known to the Lord, He will respond to you.  When you pray for mercy, again, God will respond to you.  You can tell God’s presence is with you because in all things, both possible and impossible, you will recognize when God is making a way for you.  

Many believe that God hides Himself from us, but that is not the case, as He is all around us.  However, what will blind you from being able to perceive God’s presence is sin.  Sin clouds our spiritual eyes as it weighs down the soul to the point that it can crush and destroy it.

For you to be able to perceive His presence, one must have their sinful heart treated.  The children of Israel found themselves in a position where they needed to turn to God so that God would treat their sinful hearts.  One who lives in commitment to the Lord, like Moses, will one day be permitted to see God, as we will one day be transformed into His glory.