December 23rd

More Presence

And God said to Moses, I AM WHO I AM.' Exodus 3:14

I AM. There is no better name for God to prove His Presence to us-that He isn't some hasbeen or would-be or once-was God. He is I AM.

That gift of Presence revealed to Moses left Moses with a choice. The I AM Presence of God was about to become entirely reliant upon whether Moses would believe it or not. Through a burning bush or a newborn babe, God's Presence will either be fully realized or fully missed based upon our belief and acceptance of His Presence.

Moses easily could have turned away and not drawn near. Maybe you find yourself faced with that very same tension: Will you draw near and accept that God wants to reveal Himself to you in a new way?

Since the dawn of creation, it is through God's holy Word that God's holy Presence is clearly seen. It was through the Word of God speaking to Moses through a bush that God's Presence was revealed to Moses. God's Presence is most clearly found for us in the pages of His Word.

You might feel I am over-emphasizing things-that this is a hopeful, exaggerated wish that God's Presence shows up in his Word. Nonsense! Hebrews 4:12 tells us, For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

That's the power not of a book, but of God's Word, whether read on a greeting card, on an iPad, a Kindle, whether the NIV or the KJV. It is the Word of God. And the Word of God is the Presence of God. In fact, the NIV says that the Word of God is alive and active.

His Word is alive. In other words, Presence. I know that this goes contrary to popular opinion of a post-Christian society that wants to convince you that God's Word is boring and Christmas is dead. On the contrary, God's Word is boring for people who've not read it. I can assure you, there is nothing boring about Presence of God. Anyone who is being led to believe that the Bible is boring is being led to believe it by an unbelieving world.

Moses had that choice, and you have that same choice before you. Are you going to believe what you're reading? If you approach the Word of God apathetically, unbelieving, as though it were dead, then that's all it will be.

But Moses approached with a heart that turned aside. He turned toward the Presence. He believed that what was speaking to him was being spoken by the very Presence of God.

Prayer I AM,

Thank You that Your presence is still with me today every time I read Your Word! Especially at this Christmas time of year, I choose to receive and believe Your presence, just as Moses did.

Amen