His Presence, Our Blessing

Open Heavens Daily Devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye
Friday September 12

HIS PRESENCE, OUR BLESSING

Memorise:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 23:6

Read: 2 Samuel 6:6-11

6 And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.
7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.
8 And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.
9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?
10 So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.
11 And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.
Message

There are many blessings in the presence of God. This is the key to drawing multitudes to the Lord through His presence in your life. When people notice that God is mightily present in your life, they will seek Him through you. It is not about making noise; it is about the visible and verifiable workings of God. Beginning from today, you will be a carrier of His glory in Jesus’ Name.

The story in our Bible reading today shows us two dimensions about what the presence of God can do among His people. It can bring judgment or blessings. Uzzah touched the Ark with the motive of preventing it from falling off the oxen, but the Lord struck him dead instantly because he was not sanctified to do so. Holiness is very important for accommodating the presence of God in order to attract His blessings. We must understand that toying with sin in the congregation of God’s people is asking for instant judgment which no one can stand. When God is with you, you will begin to get blessings you never bargained for. You will begin to experience supernatural promotion. As a slave, through the presence of God in his life, Joseph became an overseer. Everything in the empire of Potiphar was put in his care. He took over the house; it was he who decided what the master would eat. The presence of God with him ensured his promotion, even in a hostile environment. Psalm 75:6-7 says,
“For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.”
In Genesis 39:20-23, when Joseph was thrown into prison, the jailer made him the overseer of all other prisoners, because God was with him. If God is with you, wherever you are, you will succeed. Romans 8:31 reminds us that if God is for us, who can be against us? This also means that if God is against an individual, who can be for him? If the presence of the Lord is with you, let the whole world come against you, they will fall down flat before you. You will do mighty things, and people will want to know your secret. The secret is that God is with you. If God is with you, you may be selling water and yet be better off than someone working at the bank. The moment the presence of God is with you, you will be able to say like David in Psalm 23:4:
”Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

Key Point:
The blessing that comes with God’s presence is worth the price of consecration required to attract and keep it.