The promise of His presence
“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.~ Exodus 23:20
Have you ever had times when you started something new in life and felt unsure about what was ahead? Maybe you sensed God leading you somewhere, but you didn’t know how it would all work out. We all have had those moments that feel both exciting and uncertain at the same time. In Exodus 23, God gave His people a promise before they entered the land He had prepared for them. He assured them that He would send an angel before them to protect, guide, and bring them safely into their destination. This is a promise that is still true today.
There have been many days in my life where I could not see what was coming ups next. I remember one particular time when God was clearly closing a door in one area and leading me toward something new. The problem was, I had no idea what that “new” thing looked like. I remember telling God, “I trust You, but I don’t know how to move forward.” Over time, I began to see His hand guiding me one faith step at a time. Each small instructions He gave required trust, but every time I followed, His peace was there to meet me on the other side. It was then that I realized that His presence was so much more important than having the whole plan figured out.
Exodus 23 shows that when God calls you to move forward, He goes before you. You are never alone in your journey. Just as He promised to send His angel to guard the Israelites and lead them into their promised land, He promises His presence to guide you today. You may not see everything clearly right now, but His Spirit is already preparing the way.
Here are some ways you can begin to step into His presence today:
- Spend time each morning asking God to guide your steps throughout the day.
- Trust that when you follow God’s direction, He will take care of the details that you cannot control.
- Remember that obedience is more important than understanding every part of the plan.
- Keep a journal of how God has been faithful to guide you in past seasons and thank Him for it.
- When you feel uncertain, pause and pray for His peace before making a decision.
- Look for signs of God’s presence in your daily life such as answered prayers, divine timing, or small blessings that remind you He is near.
Today I want to encourage you to trust that God has already gone ahead of you. He is preparing the path you are walking and making a way where there seems to be none. His presence is your greatest promise and your greatest protection. When you choose to follow Him, you can walk forward with confidence knowing that He is leading you into a place prepared with purpose, peace, and provision. Even when the way feels uncertain, rest in the assurance that you are not walking alone.
Today’s scripture reading: Exodus 23
1“You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. 2You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. 3You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.
4“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. 5If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.
6“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked. 8And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous.
9“Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
The Law of Sabbaths
10“Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.
13“And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.
Three Annual Feasts
14“Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.
17“Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God.
18“You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. 19The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
The Angel and the Promises
20“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 24You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars.
25“So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
27“I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite from before you. 29I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land. 31And I will set your bounds from the Red Sea to the sea, Philistia, and from the desert to the River. For I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you. 32You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. 33They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
Journal:
- What new season or decision am I facing that requires trust in God’s guidance?
- How have I seen God go before me in the past to prepare the way?
- What does walking in obedience look like for me right now?
- How can I become more aware of God’s presence in my daily life?
The Daily Dose 