Set the Sail (Preparing for a Move of God) Sample

Presence: God’s Rightful Place

When Anthony Albanese became Prime Minister of Australia in May 2022, he announced three key policies for his government: raising the minimum wage, constitutional change to add an indigenous voice to parliament, and updating Australia’s climate targets. These policies represented the core values and ambitions of his political party. When leaders are appointed, their first policy decisions tell the people a lot about what they value.

What did King David do when he became ruler over Israel? He’d had plenty of time to consider his key policies. He’d waited 15 years between his anointing and finally taking the throne, spending most his time on the run from the jealous King Saul. After 15 years of thinking, what was David’s first move? He erected a small tent in front of the palace on Mount Zion, put the Ark of the Covenant in the tent, and started a 24/7 prayer and worship service funded by the royal treasury — appointing hundreds of priests, prophets and worship leaders to serve!

David’s first decision as king was to wholeheartedly pursue God’s presence and favour by establishing a tent of prayer at the centre of the nation. It wasn’t a military strategy or an economic plan; but a plan to restore God’s rightful place among his people! The Ark of the Covenant was the place where God was said to be present with his people: a thin space, where heaven touched earth, and God would reside. During the reign of Saul the Ark had been captured by the Philistines, one of Israel’s enemies, far away from God’s people. Now, for the first time in a generation God’s presence was brought back into the centre of Israel’s political and religious life!

As the Ark was brought back into the city David lead the procession wearing nothing but a linen ephod; a priestly garment. The Ark, not David, sat on the throne carried in by his royal servants. This was a powerful statement that Yahweh was the true King of Israel — not David.

In one generation, David turned the entire nation around. God’s presence had been returned to the centre of Israel’s life and they became a global superpower once again as God blessed them with favour. This key policy decision was the defining mark in David’s leadership.

Oh, that our churches would erect houses of prayer and be centred on the presence of God. As we set sail and pursue a move of God this is what we must prioritise: not programs, strategies, buildings, or budgets, but the wholehearted pursuit of God’s presence and prayer at the centre.