God's nearness

Friends and family,  let me start off today saying that God is real and He wants to know each and every one of us.  He is bringing this message home to me, so clearly.  
This afternoon, I took a wild ride through the Bible, His word.  I was first led to the story of Noah.  I had not read the story of Noah in a long time.  The story of Noah starts out by mentioning the violence and intense moral corruption that were in his land.  Noah followed God’s instruction to build an ark even though it went against common sense.  He lived in a desert!  God’s word says that he walked with God and that He was blameless in his generation and a righteous man.  He spent about a full year in the ark after the 40 days of rain.  I love the verse that states, “And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him.  And the LORD shut him in.” (emphasis mine) You know you are safe when the LORD shuts you in.  You’re exactly where you need to be. Genesis 6-9

Next I read in Psalm 16:7-11 which states,

 “I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.  I have set the LORD always before me, he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.  Therefore, my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.  For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol (wickedness), or let your holy one see corruption.  You make known to me the path of life;  in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”  

These verses reminded me of the way He led his people out of slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness.  So I went to Exodus 13:21-22 

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” 

What do you think that pillar of cloud looked like?  Tornado?  Thunderstorm cloud?  Sometimes I wish for a pillar of cloud, or fire, or maybe even just an email sent from God to show me His way.  How neat it must have been to see these things.  These verses revealed to me how intimately and realistically God guides his people, especially on wilderness journeys.  He never leaves.  He is always present.  I correlated these verses with the ones from Psalms 16:  The LORD gives counsel, in the night the heart instructs, the LORD is always before me (like the pillars of cloud and fire)--- so I shall not be shaken, he makes known the path.  

Next, I began to wonder how these situations relate to New Testament / current times after the Holy Spirit came.  This took me to John 14:16 where Jesus is talking about sending the Holy Spirit.  He says the Holy Spirit will be a Helper (helping presence), to be with you forever, a Spirit of Truth (guiding disciples into all truth), but now it says “he dwells with you and will be IN you.” Jesus also speaks of the Holy Spirit teaching all things.  Then I read Romans 8:14 which states that: 

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  Then his word says in Galatians says to “walk by the Spirit.” (vs 5:16)  and in verse 18, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." 

This is just so much to take in.  I believe that the Holy Spirit is like our pillar of cloud and pillar of fire that guides us, helps us, teaches us, never leaves us or departs from us, when we belong to Him and are adopted sons or daughters of God.  He tell us to walk by the Spirit, just like his people that escaped slavery.  How amazing that his presence now is not only with us but IN us-- like the pillar of fire and pillar of cloud.  Take a moment to imagine this.  By His presence, we cannot be shaken.