God's Presence vs God's Presents

The other day I came across this passage of Scripture that has been rocking my world since I read it. It is one of those passages that is in a story that I have read hundreds of times, spoke on several times and yet this passage sounded different as it hit my heart this time:

Exodus 33:15- Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.

The Promised Land was on the horizon. The home for God’s chosen people was in sight. The present that God had set apart for His people was at hand. Yet Moses valued God’s Presence more than he valued His presents.

The question that I’ve been asking myself is do I desire God’s Presence more than I desire his presents? Do I desire Who God is more than I desire what God can give me? I want to believe that I choose Presence over presents…but that’s not always the case:

-I want the present of having good kids, without consistently inviting the Presence of God into raising them.

-I long for the present of a fulfilling marriage, but often underestimate how crucial it is for His Presence to be at the center.

-I desire the present of Godly outcomes, but fail to have the courage to seek God’s Presence in the decision-making.

-I want the present of worldly success, often at the expense of Godly character brought by His Presence.

-I want the present of God’s will, but don’t take the time to be transformed by His Presence.

Do I value God’s Presence as much as I value His presents? If God chose to never give me one more thing, would He be enough? I hope so. My prayer today is that I give him a little more of my heart and surrender more of who I am to His Presence.

What about you today? Do you value God’s Presence as much as you do His presents?