So….I’m in Leviticus in my daily Bible reading, and I have to be honest….I’m tempted to skim over part of it. All the talk on skin diseases and bodily discharges and mold and mildew….seriously? I’d rather be reading about…well….anything else besides skin diseases and mildew.
Anyone else with me on that?
But today I got stuck on Leviticus 16:2, which says, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses; if he does, he will die. For the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement, is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover.”
And that made me so sad. But thankful.
Sad because Aaron didn’t have free access to the presence of God. He could only experience God’s holy, manifest presence once a year. Once a year. And the people didn’t have access to Him at all. I’m addicted to the presence of God, so I find that terribly sad.
And thankful because as I was reading that, all these verses came to mind:
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
The Most Holy Place where His presence abides no longer has a Do Not Enter sign hanging on it. He says, “Come to Me.” Thank you, Lord!
I think sometimes we take for granted what we have. Unlimited, unhindered, all-the-time access to the presence of God. We can go whenever we want, as often as we want, day or night.
We don’t need an appointment. It’s not just for an hour. We’re not just meeting Him for lunch or a quick cup of tea. We don’t just get to see Him when He hops on Periscope.
John 14:23 says that He literally comes and makes His home in us. His dwelling place. We are where He abides.
That word home also means to be present. He is always present with me. Wherever I am, He is.
Just like in class when the teacher would call out my name and I’d say, “Present,” He is present. He is never absent. Always….24 hours a day 7 days a week…He is present….with me.
I know we know this…..but do we really KNOW this?
Let it sink in. Meditate on it. Think about it over and over and over.
And let it thrill your soul.
We have continuous access to His presence.
Whenever we want, we can talk with Him.
He is always present with us.
Instead of Do Not Enter, He says Come To Me.
And in His presence is fullness of joy. And peace. And strength and grace and power and healing and provision and everything we’ll ever need.
Selah –
Lord, reveal this to our hearts and minds today. Let this truth really sink in and come alive to us. Let us become more aware of Your presence and all that really means. Amen…