ENJOYING THE PRESENCE OF GOD

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“The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.”

1 Chronicles 13:14

The ark acted as a promise and was a visible representation of the presence of God. David experienced the fear of God when taking the ark all the way to Jerusalem. He was shaken to see the way the Lord had destroyed Uzzah for having touched the ark when it was at the point of falling to the ground. This was a desecration of the holiest thing because not one priest could touch the ark.

The ark could only be kept in the house of God, and in the holiest and most sacred places. God allowed what happened in the aftermath of Uzzah’s death to show his people that he doesn’t just want to live in the tabernacle or the temple, but also dwell with the families in their houses. This was the first time that the ark of God was displayed in a house. It is possible that many were fearful of what would happen to the family of Obed-Edom. If Uzzah, died for having only touched the ark, then what would be the outcome that awaited this family? To everyone’s amazement, God greatly blessed the family of Obed-Edom. During the time that the ark was there it produced great prosperity for them. This gave David great confidence to once again transfer the ark all the way to Jerusalem.

Interestingly enough, the ark contained the tablets of the Law, Aaron’s rod that budded, and a portion of manna. These are also symbols of what should remain in those who have made Jesus Lord in their lives. The tablets of the Law represent the blessing of the Word of God that should be in our hearts in abundance (1 Timothy 3:16). The rod of Aaron that budded represents the way that the priestly anointing revives the hearts of those who are already sons of God. The manna represents the rhema or ‘now’ word that the Lord gives us to feed us in spirit so we can make progress and rest in God’s promises.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
We did not know about the power of adoption until our fifth beautiful child came into our lives. Before making this decision my wife prayed and God spoke to her through the Word. Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Luke 9:48). With this word peace came to our hearts that this was the will of God for us. Supernaturally, two days after this baby was born he was in our arms because the law and adoption processes normally made this virtually impossible. Also, at the same time this baby entered our house the blessing came with him. It was a huge moment of breakthrough, as if the ark of God was entering into our home and ministry.

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“The Word of God flourishes in my life and the promises of God are my daily food.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Two.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

    • Old Testament: 1 Kings 17-18; Psalms 119:81-88
    • New Testament: Luke 4:1-12; Ephesians 5:22-33

ENJOYING THE PRESENCE OF GOD