The promise of presence is what Moses said "yes" to and what sustained him all the days of his life in the wilderness leading the people. When God threatened to not go with them after the incident with the golden calf, Moses pleaded with the Lord that if He wouldn't go with them then He shouldn't send them out from that place. The pillar of fire that followed by night and the pillar of cloud by day had to have been a great comfort to Moses and to all the people.
What Jesus continually taught the disciples was the principle of abiding, the principle that Paul talked about when he said to pray without ceasing, being in constant contact and communication with the Father. Jesus promised that this intimacy we know as indwelling was possible and desirable if we continually seek Him. What would our lives look like if we were constantly seeking the presence of God? How many fewer phone calls would I make in a day if I honestly believed He was always available to chat with me? He promised that in their work of leading a new exodus that He would be with them (and us) always, even to the end of the age. We have the same promise Moses had and yet so often I avoid the Tent of Meeting with Him and seek counsel from others in a way I never see either Moses or Jesus doing.
The promise of presence is what makes the cross and the words, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me" so difficult. The intimacy and accessibility of the Father was broken, the presence was gone, and all because of sin, my sin, your sin. It was the worst moment of Jesus' life, that breaking of relationship as our sins were cast on Him. Do we experience the weight of our sin in that way? Can we not wait to repent in order to restore that intimacy or do we even know what that feels like?
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