God's Presence gives:
1) Rest: "...I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14);
2) Joy: "...You fill me with joy in your presence"
(Psalm 16:11b);
3) Courage in life's battles: "When you go to war
against your enemies ...and see an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of
them, because the Lord your God...will be with you" (Deuteronomy 20:1);
4) A comfort in trials: "When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not
sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the
flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2);
5) Safety: "In the shelter of your presence you hide
[us] from the intrigues of men..." (Psalm 31:20).
We yearn for God's presence, but there was a time when Jesus
wanted--indeed, in His humanity needed--His friends' presence. "Could
you...not keep watch with me for one hour?" (Matthew 26:40). This surely
is one of the saddest passages in the entire Bible. O what a tender and
sorrowful rebuke! He found His beloved friends asleep in His greatest need of
their nurture. O My watchmen, what of the night of this My anguish--how far
gone is this night of My grief and sorrow, and you sleep on!
Throughout the Bible we meet the humanliness of Jesus as
well as His Godliness. He pleads, "O My intimate earthly angels, could you
not keep watch with me...?" His human heart was breaking with loneliness
in the solitude of the Garden, with His friends so near and yet so far. Jesus
understood that these precious simple men would not understand His agony; what
hurt was their seeming indifference to it.
Yes, Jesus needs our presence, too, for He came to earth to
be our Friend.
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