A Desperate Desire

‘Do not get drunk on wine but be filled with the spirit’ (Eph 5:18, NIV) 

A drunk man doesn’t get that way by just talking about alcohol, or looking at advertisements for liquor. No, he gets drunk by drinking! And the more he drinks, the more alcohol controls him. We say he is under the influence of alcohol. Another power takes over which transforms him into someone he was not before. One minute he is nice and quite the next he is loud and boisterous. This describes the kind of attitude Christians ought to have towards the spirit or presence of God. Every Christian should desire for more and more of the infilling of God’s Spirit.

It is a desperate desire for more of God’s presence that leads to an experience of God’s glory or manifested presence.  God is omnipresent, but it is those who earnestly desire Him that experience His manifested presence. Exodus 33 gives an account of Moses’ desperate desire for the presence of God. As a result of Israel’s disobedience, God told the nation of Israel that even though His presence will not go with them to the promise land, His angel will go ahead of them. In essence, their dreams were going to be fulfilled, but without God’s presence. The response of Moses was ‘…If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here’ (Exodus 33:15). 

Moses’ reaction to God’s offer, speaks volumes about the value Moses placed on the presence of God. Moses was not ready to receive anything in life in exchange for the presence of God. Not even a fulfillment of his lifelong dream of getting to the Promised Land could replace his hunger for God’s presence. No wonder God gave him a second chance to be in the Promised Land. Moses stood on the mount of transfiguration with Jesus and Elijah thousands of years after he died. It is important to note that the mount of transfiguration is in the center of the Promised Land (Luke 9:18-36).

Pursuit is the proof of desire and desire is the proof of love. Moses’ love for God was proven by his desire for His presence and this desire was proven by his pursuit of God’s presence. Exodus 33:17 further reveals the heart of Moses, ‘Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting’. Similarly, Jesus had the habit of getting away to spend time with the Father and the Holy Spirit. What is your greatest pursuit in life? It clearly reveals your greatest love. Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was and His response was, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart…’ (Mat 22:37)  

Those who know how to get away and spend time in the presence of God are filled with the spirit. They are the ones who walk in divine guidance, divine authority, and divine provision. Today, may God grant you the grace to get away from the cares of this world and may you receive the grace to love Him with your all and seek Him with your all. Remember, those who seek Him find Him, and blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled