Following His Presence

In the wilderness, the Israelites relied on the presence of the Lord to lead them in all of their journeys. Then, it was His presence in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 40:34-38). Today, we still rely on His presence except now, as His Sons and Daughters, His presence dwells in our hearts. Everyday I am learning more and more about what this means and what the implications of it are. For this reason, I wanted to take some time today to bring you in on it and hopefully encourage you along the way. It all begins with a simple but very deep question: do you see God as an overbearing taskmaster or a loving Father who wants to lead you with grace as you journey through life?

I will be the first to admit I am very guilty of seeing God as an overbearing taskmaster, and over this past year it has not made the decision making process for a couple of job opportunities I have been faced with easy. I was fearful of displeasing God which led me down a path of worry over making the “wrong decision.” Ever been there? Thankfully with both decisions, the Lord has reminded me that there is much more to our relationship with Him than just “making the right decision.” 

In Romans 12:1, Paul tells us to, “present our bodies as living sacrifices,” not “present your choices as living sacrifices.” When we present our bodies as living sacrifices, we are submitting our entire lives to Him and His will. This is something so much deeper and intimate than just meeting a daily check list to please God. It is doing life with God, but if we are submitting to His will, what exactly are we submitting to?

In Katie Noble’s devotional “Pray like This” she writes, “The will of the King becomes the law of the Kingdom – what the King loves most will become the command for the people. Fortunately for us, God’s will (and law) lays out the template for the very best kind of life. Our King’s will and design for life are laid before us as the surest way to joy and peace.”

So if God’s will is His law, what is His law? Jesus tells us clearly in Matthew 22:37-40, “…You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” 

Love God, love others. That is the heart of our team and should be the mission statement of each of our individual lives. If we pursue that, what do we have to fear? How can we go wrong? 

I want to encourage you today. When those choices come up, don’t dwell on what you “should choose,” but I challenge you to instead shift your focus on the God above it all. He can and will use you no matter where you live, what your job is, where you go to school, what classes you take, etc. It requires fully trusting Him through it all, and believe me, I am still learning what it means to walk in that reality every single day. The good news is, He wants to teach us, mold us, shape us, and He has the patience to see our growth through to the very end.

Savannah Prince

Savannah serves on our team as a Video Director and Camera-op. She has a heart for leading from a place of worship and values community within our team above all. When she’s not leading over headset from the Control Room, she can usually be found fostering relationships with others, both on and off the team. Her name is often brought up by other volunteers and interns as someone who has great influence within the team and carries our values naturally and with integrity. – The Learning Together Team