Abide, Adore, Ask and Agree: 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting With Rock City ChurchSample

DAY 1

God is known by several names and titles. The second week of our devotionals will look at seven different names of Jehovah (God), while this first week will be spent entirely on the name Jehovah-Shammah, “The Lord Who is There.” The awareness of God’s presence in our lives changes everything, so let’s dive in.

Throughout the Bible, it is overwhelmingly clear that God sees people and desires to be present. In Psalm 33:13-15 we see that He is not a God who is apathetic towards, or distant from, His creation. This is evident in the many dwelling places He established on the earth in the history of mankind. The Bible uses different phrases for God’s dwelling places like ‘temple,’ ‘tabernacle’ and ‘tent of meeting,’ but each one refers to a physical location on the earth in which the King of heaven makes His presence known.

The first place God reveals His presence is in the Garden of Eden. After the fall of man, we see Him in the physical structures called the tabernacle and temple throughout the Old Testament. Next, Jesus becomes the dwelling place of God, as God, in His fullness, becomes a man. In the person of Jesus, heaven meets earth. The final dwelling place of God in scripture is God Himself and Jesus in the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city that will one day be our home.

We are living in between when Jesus first walked the earth, and when He will make His return. In this time in history, the church is the dwelling place of God, as the Holy Spirit – who is God – fills every believer with His presence. Many refer to this as the Church Age.

The next few devotionals will take a deeper dive into what it means to have God dwell inside us – the benefits, the weight, the privilege, and the wonder.

REFLECTION

1. Take a few moments to consider the great mystery of the Creator of the universe choosing to live in you.

2. How does, or should, the fullness and the power of God’s presence in you impact your daily routines and relationships?

PRAYER FOCUS

Pray for a greater awareness of God’s presence in and around you.