God With Us

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Elizabeth Welte in Victory Call

In preparation for a past women’s retreat, I had the privilege of tracing evidence of God’s presence among His people from the Garden to Glory.  By no means exhaustive (once you start looking you see it everywhere!), here are the highlights:

 

  1. Garden – — And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Genesis 3:8
  2. Abraham – So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7
  3. Jacob – And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone. Genesis 35:14
  4. Pillar of Cloud/Pillar of Fire – And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. Ex 13:21-22
  5. Tent of Meeting – Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting…. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses… Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Ex 33:7, 9, 11
  6. Ark of the Covenant – They shall make an ark of acacia wood…and you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you…And you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold…And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in the commandment for the people of Israel. Ex 25:10-22 excerpts
  7. Tabernacle – Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Ex 40:34-35
  8. The Promise Land- Joshua preparing to cross the Jordan – Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous…Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Josh 1:5-6, 9
  9. Temple – “and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the LORD), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD,‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever,’The house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.” 2 Chronicles 5:13-14
  1. Prophets – Ezekiel – And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people Then the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” Ezekiel 37:26-27
  2. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – King Nebuchadnezzar – did you not throw 2 bound men into the fire? “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Daniel 3:25
  3. Christ – God incarnate – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Phil 2:5-7
    • And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
  4. Holy Spirit – “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17
    • “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16
    • “…according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith … Ephesians 3:16, 17
  5. Glory – “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple.” Revelation 11:19
    • And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Rev 21:3

 

Oh, how exciting!!! God dwelling with man – face to face.  The culmination of history – what a glorious anticipation.  God with us.

 

Written by Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and is the Executive Director & CEO of Changed Choices, a Christian non-profit in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.


Think About This: “If peace seems elusive in your life, commit yourself to God, commit your concerns to Him in prayer, and then rest peacefully as you trust in Him.” – Dr. David Jeremiah

The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 27-29 . You can download our 2023 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “… who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” – Hebrews 1:3-4

Want to get away & have dedicated time to read & learn God’s Word?

Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.

LEARN MORE

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories