Exodus 33:9-11, 14-15 (NKJV) And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.“
In this passage, Moses refused to move the camp until he received confirmation from God that His blessing and presence would be with them. Otherwise he would not move. Before the tabernacle was built, Moses went the extra mile and he repeatedly used his own tent as a place to meet God. Every time he wanted to meet with God, he would pitch it outside far away from the camp. The pillar of cloud that descended right at the entrance of his tent of meeting was the manifested presence and glory of God. It was there the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to a dear friend.
Today, we do not need signs to know that God’s presence is with us. We can fellowship with God through the finished work of the cross. We are in better position than Moses to speak to God because we are children of God, hidden in Christ, seen as righteous and holy before him. He accepts us in the Beloved. We have the privilege to run to His throne of grace to find help and mercy in the time of need. We are given the promise in the Scriptures that when we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
Prayer and consecration are inseparable. There is no shortcut route to discern God’s will for our lives. Before we make a major decision in our life, we should have the same attitude as Moses, i.e., we will not move unless God’s blessing and presence goes with us. This attitude is submitting to the Lordship of Christ, a life of humbleness and consecration to God’s plan for our lives. Faith arises in our heart when we know that we are walking in God’s will. There is no fear in the face of any confrontation and circumstance that seem contrary to what God has already spoken to us. He is leading us instead of us walking ahead of Him. He promises to be our Guide.
The fact that Moses used his own tent as a meeting place before the tabernacle was built indicates his determination and desire to seek God. It became a personal meeting place with God. We should also have a place identified where we can meet God personally either in our home or office.
When we long for God’s presence, we will know God because we are fellowshipping with Him daily. If we walk in the presence of God, we are walking in God’s power and authority. And it affects every area of our life: we are children of God, husband or wife, father or mother, corporate person and servant of God.
Being in the presence of God will help us to stay humble and keep us focused on what is truly important in our lives. We need God’s wisdom to set us apart and ensure that we do not compromise with the values, principles and the abundant life that we would like to protect.
We should not go to the extreme of thinking that we cannot do anything without specific direction from the Holy Spirit. God has given us a mind for a purpose. In many natural areas, we simply need to use our mind to make decisions. However, if we do not intentionally make time for Him, then we will most likely slip into being a master of our own lives. Therefore, we need a balance by creating a habit by being quiet before Him and humbly seek His opinion.
The right time is very important. When God tells us something, it does not always mean that it will happen immediately. We need to wait on God until we know what the will of God is. Waiting on God includes listening to the Holy Spirit, reading the Word and journaling it down. We will also communicate our plan to God and listen to His thoughts. We are to check whether there is peace or unrest in our human spirit over the decision. We should wait on God as long as is necessary. It is worth the time. Trust in the Lord and let Him to bring it to pass if He has spoken to you!
Sermon Series: Caught Between the Rock and a Hard Place
活在祂的同在中
出埃及记 33:9-11 摩西进会幕的时候，云柱降下来，立在会幕的门前，耶和华便与摩西说话。众百姓看见云柱立在会幕门前，就都起来，各人在自己帐棚的门口下拜。耶和华与摩西面对面说话，好像人与朋友说话一般。摩西转到营里去，惟有他的帮手，一个少年人嫩的儿子约书亚，不离开会幕。耶和华说，我必亲自和你同去，使你得安息。摩西说，你若不亲自和我同去，就不要把我们从这里领上去。
在这段经文中，摩西拒绝拔营，直等到他得到神的确据，有神的祝福和同在并与他们同去，否则他不愿行动。在会幕建造之前，摩西做得更多，他多次使用自己的帐棚作为与神会面的地方。每次他想要与神见面时，他都会远离营地。云柱降在他与神见面的帐棚门口，彰显出神的同在和荣耀。正是在那里，耶和华面对面和摩西说话，就像一个人对一位挚友说话一样。
今天，我们不需要异象来明白神与我们同在。藉着十字架上成就的工作，我们能与神相交。我们拥有比摩西更好的位份来到神面前，因为我们是神的儿女，隐藏在基督里，在祂面前被视为公义和圣洁。神在祂的爱子里中接纳了我们。我们有特权能奔向祂的恩典宝座，在需要的时候得着帮助和怜悯。圣经中给我们应许当我们亲近神时，神就与我们亲近。
祷告和奉献是不可分的。要明辨神在我们生命中的旨意是没有快捷方式的。在我们做出重大决定之前，我们应该和摩西一样，如果神的同在和祝福不与我们同行，我们哪儿都不去。这正是顺服基督主权的态度，是一种谦卑的生命并将我们生命奉献给神的计划。当我们知道自己行在神的旨意中时，信心就在我们心中成长，当我们面临任何与神的话相对立的遭遇和处境时，我们不会恐惧。祂引领着我们，而不是我们走在祂前面。祂应许做我们的向导。
摩西在帐幕建造好之前用自己的帐棚与神会面表明了他寻求神的决心和渴望。他的帐棚成为一个独自与神相遇的地方。我们也应该有一个地方，使我们能与神单独相遇 ，无论在家里还是办公室。
当我们渴望神的同在时，我们会认识神，因为我们每天都与祂相交。如果我们与神同行，我们也是行在神的能力和权柄之中。这会影响我们生活的每一方面：我们是神的儿女，是丈夫或妻子，是父亲或母亲，是公司职员或是神的仆人。
与神同在会帮助我们保持谦卑，并让我们专注于生活中真正重要的东西。我们需要神的智慧将自己分别为圣，确保自己在我们想要保护的价值观、原则和丰盛的生命上不妥协。
我们不应该极端地认为没有圣灵明确的方向我们就不能做任何事情。神赐给我们心智是有目的的，在很多自然领域，我们只需要用我们的心智来做出决定。但是，如果我们不是有意为神预留时间，那么我们很可能会成为我们自己生命的主宰。因此，我们需要一种平衡，养成一个习惯，安静在祂的面前，谦卑地寻求祂的建议。
对的时间非常重要。当神告诉我们某件事时，并不总是意味着事情会立即发生。我们要等候神，直到我们明白什么是神的旨意，等候神包括聆听圣灵，读经和写灵修日记。我们也要把我们的计划与神沟通，倾听祂的想法。我们要检查这个决定在我们的心灵里是有平安还是不安稳。只要有必要，我们就应该等候神。这是值得的，你要倚靠耶和华，若祂与你说话，就让祂为你成就事情。
讲章系列：陷入进退两难的处境
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