Exodus 33:14. And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

The Presence of God Makes You Different

The thing that makes God’s people different is the presence of God in their lives.  Without it, we would be just like any other people or group.  When we don’t have the presence of God, people who have grown used to seeing it in our lives, can tell. Someone who has an excellent spirit, like Daniel, can only have it because of a walk with God.  There are a few things in Exodus 33 that set Moses apart so that the presence of God in his life was evident.

God Knew Moses By Name

First of all, God knew Moses by name.  Moses had a personal relationship with God.  He talked to Him face to face, as a man talks with his wife or family.  He was close to God.  He knew God’s likes and dislikes.  He knew all about God.  God was his best friend.  You are never going to have the presence of God in your life if you don’t have a close, personal relationship with Him.  You must stay in the Word of God and learn more and more about God.  That is how God talks to you today.  If you are waiting for an audible voice, like he talked to Moses, you are going to be waiting for a long time.  We have the completed Word of God, Moses didn’t.

Moses Found Grace in the Sight of God

Next, Moses found grace in the sight of God.  If you don’t have God’s grace and mercy acting in your life, you will not have His presence.  If God only fellowshipped with you when you were living completely holy and blameless, you would not have a lot of fellowship this side of heaven.  God is not looking for a perfect, flawless people.  He is looking for people who have a humble heart and a contrite spirit, a people who is willing to get right, and then let the grace of God work in their life.  It is humbling to seek God’s grace when we mess up and sin.  We need to let the grace of God change us.   As we do that, we yield to the Holy Ghost, overcome the flesh, and have God’s presence in our life.

There is Rest in the Presence of God

Last of all, there is a rest that comes with the presence of God in our lives.  God’s presence will give a peace and contentment to the Christian that goes beyond any material blessing in this life.  You will have rest and peace in the Lord, not in this world.  Do you rest each day in the Lord, knowing that he will provide for you?  Do you still believe Romans 8:28 and realize that everything God does for you, this side of heaven, is for your good?  Do you truly trust that God is doing something for your good, even when it looks really bad on the outside?  That is a rest that only the presence of God can give.  When the Christian lets all of these operate in their life, the presence of God will be evident in their life, both to the saved and the lost.