Shouts of GraceSample

Grace for God's Presence

A leader is someone who guides, leads, influences, or has authority over someone, something, or a group. In other words, we are all leaders, whether you are a parent, a teacher, a student, employer, hosting a small group, or just volunteering at church.

Let me ask you a question…Do you think you can be a leader without God’s presence?

Moses was commissioned by God to lead His children out of Egypt’s bondage. Miracle after miracle proved that the Almighty Himself was leading the way, that He loved His people, and that Moses was the leader receiving direction from Him. But that all changed when Moses was up on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments and the Children of Israel were below building a golden calf as their god to follow. A huge rift happened between God and His people as a result of their disrespect for Him. God was ready to pour out His wrath upon them.

Moses’ relationship with God, however, was unchangeable, so Moses was able to reason with God about not wiping out the children of Israel with His wrath. For the safety of His people, God refused to travel with them into the promised land. He assigned a messenger angel to lead Moses instead.

But Moses knew that he couldn’t lead the people without God’s miraculous presence. He reminded God of the covenant He had with them, and that he was only there because of His grace and the command given him to “Lead the Children of Israel into the Promised Land!”

Let’s look at Exodus 33 verses 14-17 of the TLB Version: "And the Lord replied, 'I myself will go with you and give you success.' For Moses had said, 'If You aren’t going with us, don’t let us move a step from this place. If You don’t go with us, who will ever know that I and my people have found favor with You, and that we are different from any other people upon the face of the earth?' And the Lord had replied to Moses, 'Yes, I will do what you have asked, for you have certainly found favor with Me, and you are my friend.'"

Because the Children of Israel were challenging and difficult at times, Moses knew he needed the presence of God with him at all times to carefully direct his steps. Once Moses was confident that he had the grace and favor of God, he was able to continue to lead them.

- Pastor Mike Bryan

If you want to be confident in your walk as well, pray this prayer:

Father, I realize that my life affects those around me. In Romans 14:7, I read “For no one of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.” Our lives affect other people. My life affects those around me -- my mother, father, aunts, uncles, children, as well as the people I work and play with. My deeds do not go unnoticed.

When people see the decisions I make, I want them to be confident that those decisions are approved by you. Therefore, I need Your help…Your grace… to discern who and how to lead those around me. You have a specific job for me to do and a specific path to follow to be successful. Help me to learn how to allow Your presence to guide me in all I do and to all of those around me.

I need Your help…Your grace… Your presence in my life!

I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Journal Directions

1. Reflecting upon your past, can you think of a time when you grew tired of waiting for God’s direction, so you “did it your way”?
2. Can you think of a time when you wanted to “do it your way” but successfully waited for God’s direction first?
3. What were the different outcomes and lessons learned as a result?
4. What are some areas of your life right now in which you are believing for the grace of God’s presence?