Moses placed such importance on the presence of God that he pleaded with Him to not advance without it. God assured Moses that His presence would indeed go with him and grant him peace. Later when Joshua took over the saddle of leadership, God transferred the same promise of His presence and backing to the young officer. That presence gave the people victory when they confronted Jericho with its massive fortifications. However, they lost to a tiny city called Ai! The difference between victory in one place and failure in the other was the presence of God. His presence was with them at Jericho, but unavailable at Ai.

“We safeguard divine presence by choosing to do His will. A life of personal holiness and constant obedience to the Spirit will give us the fulfilling experience of God’s presence.”

What happened was that the seed of the failure at Ai was sown in the previous victory at Jericho. Someone touched the accursed thing. Someone thought he could make a brisk business out of what God wanted destroyed. That angered God and He withdrew His presence. His absence was the reason for the defeat at a walk over task. Here we understand that our victory is not determined by resources and resoluteness alone; it comes primarily from the presence of the Living God. In several portions of the scriptures, we have the promise of God to be with us. That leaves us with a task – the need to safeguard that presence. We safeguard divine presence by choosing to do His will. A life of personal holiness and constant obedience to the Spirit will give us the fulfilling experience of God’s presence.