“God’s present is his presence. His greatest gift is himself.” – Max Lucado

Do you ever take a Bible verse and turn it into your personal prayer? Maybe it is a passage like Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing…” that becomes your supplication when you begin to worry about your current circumstances. Or maybe something like Romans 8:39, that speaks of how nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God” becomes your plea in times of need.

Most recently, Exodus 33:15 has become my daily prayer that I offer up to God.

In this passage, Moses is speaking to God in the tent of meeting. In this sacred place, Moses pours his heart out to God asking for His help in leading the Israelites. God assures Moses, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Moses’ response has become my constant petition to God.

“Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”

Lord, do not send us anywhere unless your Spirit is alongside us providing strength, wisdom, and guidance.

I love how Presence is capitalized in this verse. It shows that God’s Presence is something that is sacred and holy. Yet it is His holy Presence that God will lay upon all of those who follow Him.

God’s Holy Spirit is alive in all of those who believe in Him make Him Lord over their life. His Spirit goes with us wherever we go, using us and enabling us to work for Him and His Kingdom.

“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14).

I encourage you to let this be your prayer as well. When you find yourself in a situation that rings in the unknown, when you feel that familiar tightness of anxiety, when you find yourself bruised and broken, pray, “If your Presence does not go with me, do not send me from here.”

You do not face anything alone, for God’s Presence is with you always. He is there to offer you comfort, rest, and strength. If God is sending you, be assured that His Presence is going with you.

Parents: Encourage your children by telling them about the ever-present Spirit of God that will go with them wherever they go.