There's Peace in Proximity
Good morning and welcome to the Spirit of Stress newsletter! It’s a pleasure to be with you in spirit this morning. I hope you have your Bible and coffee, tea, or favorite drink. I pray you’ve drawn nearer to God this past week, but if not, I hope today’s newsletter will help you do just that.
Deeply woven into human nature is a longing to feel safe, stable, and complete. Often, many of us find that security in things of this world - usually, people, places, or professions. Growing up in poverty, I didn’t have too many desires. I didn’t dream of being a professional athlete, doctor, or police officer. I just wanted to be a husband and a dad, and hopefully do something that helped people somehow. Like all young adults, I was uncertain of my future and thought I would never live a stable life. But before I knew it, I was married, pursuing a career I was passionate about, and doing better financially than I ever thought possible. However, I soon found out I was not on solid ground. Have you experienced this? A false sense of security? You’ve worked so hard to create a stable life, but at some point you realize, you’re just as vulnerable as you ever were - maybe more, seeing how you have more people depending on you, and more to lose. Today we’re going to discuss how God goes with us everywhere he has called us to go, and that there’s only one safe place to stand, one rock, and it’s near to God. But first, let’s pray.
Opening Prayer
God, we come this morning to honor and exalt you. You are our God and our refuge. Come today and open our minds to know your word and our hearts to receive it. Your word alone is a lamp unto our feet; light our path today, Lord, and order our steps. Direct us in the way we should go and lead us home. Draw us near to you with your irresistible love and grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
God Goes With Us
There’s only one safe place for us to stand. In Exodus 33, Moses is asking to see the glory of God. He’s looking for security and safety to move forward with what God has commanded him to do - lead the people of Israel. How often do we believe God has called us to do something, but we’re looking for certainty that he will be with us? It may be an arduous task out of our scope of practice. In fact, it usually is, but God gets the glory when there’s no logical reason for us to succeed in what he’s called us to do. We may not have confidence in ourselves, but we are confident that God has called us to the task. This was Moses’ plight. He said, “Lord, you have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me.” Exodus 33:12 Is this not a familiar feeling? Let’s examine the dialogue that takes place between God and Moses.
Moses: “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” Exodus 33:12-13
God: “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
Moses: “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” Exodus 33:15-16
God: “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:17
Moses: “Now show me your glory.” Exodus 33:18
God: “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Exodus 33:19-20
God: “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Exodus 33:21-22
Moses is looking for comfort, and God provides, just as he does for us now. Who has God sent with us? The Comforter. We are not alone. God assures Moses that his presence will go with him and he’ll give him rest, and Christ promises to provide us with the Holy Spirit.
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26
“But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:7
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.” Acts 1:8
God’s voice has two parts: his word and his spirit.
Our insecurities are snuffed out when we have his command to go, and his spirit to go with us.
One Rock
Just as he did for Moses, God shows us his glory and provides a place near him for us to stand, a rock. We know this rock is our Rock, the Lord Jesus Christ, as scripture tells us:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalms 18:2
“Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.” Psalms 62:2
“But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God, the rock in whom I take refuge.” Psalms 94:22
“Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:4
The Lord is our Rock, and that forever. There is no safe ground to stand on, no place for us to see the glory of God, and no place to find confidence in moving forward except in the Lord. The proximity to the Lord brings us peace and confidence in where we are, where we’re going, and who we’re with.
Are you aware of just how close you are to your Rock? So often we feel far from God or disconnected from God, but we are closer than we think! The Lord says:
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you… On that day, you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
John 14:17,19
I illustrated this for you in the image below:
What you see here is our tent, or body, and our tabernacle, or covering.
taberncale: a place of worship, the portable sanctuary in use by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem by Solomon. Exodus 25–27. Dictionary.com
Our body is a tent of meeting, a place we commune with God, and our tabernacle is our covering. In the Old Testament, there was a tent of meeting where Moses communed with God. When the tent was built, God gave these instructions: “Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of the other durable leather.” Exodus 26:14
The first covering is from a sacrificed ram, likely dyed red with blood, and represents our Lord, Jesus. The second covering of durable leather is God the Father. This is how a child of God is covered as he or she travels through the wilderness until the day they go to be with the Lord, or he splits the sky and builds his temple in the earth, whichever comes first.
There’s peace in our proximity, but do we know where we are? Do we know exactly how protected we are? He is in us via the Holy Spirit, and we are in him, and he is in the Father. There’s protection within, and a double covering over us. It’s easy for us to forget sometimes. I hope this helps you to recognize how close you are to God and how close he is to you, even if you don’t feel his presence.
Whether our enemies are around us or within us, they will not prevail. “For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede.” Deuteronomy 32:31 You can rest, knowing that whatever God has called you to do, or wherever he has called you to go, his presence will go with you. Let’s pray.
Closing Prayer
God, thank you for providing a rock for us to stand on. Thank you for not allowing us to find stability in something that’s far from you. Help us to recognize our proximity to you and move forward with what you have commanded us to do. We trust that you will equip us to succeed in our service to you. To you alone belong all glory, honor, power, and praise. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Until next time, God willing, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
Spiritual Tip
For those of you burning with a desire to spread the Gospel, as I hope you all are, focus on the depth of your ministry, and let God worry about the width of it. Often, we’re so focused on reaching more people when we already have people in our lives who need us to reach them more sincerely.
Exercise Tip of the Week (ETOW)
Be sure your High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) has an interval. Most people get their heart rate up high, but don’t let it come down enough. This eliminates the cardiovascular benefits of HIIT. Usually, the highs aren’t high enough, and the lows aren’t low enough.
Writing update
While I’m still waiting to hear back from a few publishing houses regarding one of my non-fiction manuscripts, the Spirit of Stress: A Christian’s Guide to Resilient Living, I did hear back from one… it was a rejection. But I’m not upset about it, honestly! I wasn’t excited, but I wasn’t upset either. I feel like I did when I moved from NY to NC with no family there and no job lined up. I’m excited to see how God will provide. I know my times are in his hands. I believe that with all my heart. The longer I live, the more certain I am that God is faithful, and his plans for my life are far greater than mine.
Also, I wrote a novel! It’s a Christian speculative YA novel. That’s a mouthful. This was so much fun, guys! It’s a three-part series called Kingdom Come, and book one is called The Call. I recently entered a national competition called the Genesis through an organization called American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). It’s a contest where the first fifteen pages are judged. I didn’t make the semi-finals, but I did get some great feedback from the judges that I’m excited to take away from the experience and apply. On top of that, two of my AFCW-Charlotte chapter members made the finals! Click the links below to learn more about these two amazing authors.
Book Recommendation: Faith vs. Fear by Charles Spurgeon
Excerpt:
"And shall I hold on to the end?" says the believer. Yes, thou wilt, for God's strength is in thee. "Shall I be able to bear such-and-such a trial!" Yes thou wilt. Cannot Omnipotence stem the torrent? And Omnipotence is in thee; for, like Ignatius of old, thou art a God-bearer; thou bearest God about with thee. Thy heart is a temple of the Holy Ghost, and thou shalt yet overcome. "But can I ever stand firm in such-and-such an evil day?" Oh, yes, you will, for He will put His strength in you!
