Seize the Moment – Day 475
The Presence of the Lord Prepares Human Hearts!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 5.
Have you ever had an encounter with the presence of God in a discernable way that deeply affected you for the rest of your life?
I did and it was in a situation and place that forever directed my steps. The presence of the Lord came upon me and I responded to His grace. Later, I learned that the Spirit of God did this to prepare my heart to be His throne.
In Exodus 19, God is about to give His covenant with the Israelites through Moses. In order to prepare their hearts, He manifests His presence to them. The scene unfolds in Exodus 19:18-20:
Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. When the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
Bible teachers call this event a theophany—an event where God reveals Himself in a way that people can discern! God revealed Himself to the Israelites because of His previously stated desire to make them “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (v. 6).
God’s presence prepares human hearts for God’s purposes and glory!
Theophanies set the precedent for God’s revelation of Himself to us in Jesus Christ. John testified to the incarnation in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (cf. Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3).
Seize the moment and respond to the glory of God in your life. God’s presence prepares your heart to be His throne.