But the Presence of the Lord....

This morning as I was preparing for my thirty minute talk on the subject of 'Prayer', this Sabbath, I was studying the story of Moses and the children of Israel as they were journeying in the wilderness, on their way to the Promised Land. On two accounts, the passage through the Red Sea, and the conquest at Bashan, where to all appearances they were about to be overcome by such formidable forces, the words greeted my eyes as water to a thirsty soul, 'But the cloudy pillar....'. If you remember, the symbol of God's presence with His people as they were traveling through the wilderness, was in the form of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God's presence was all that they needed to turn around in their favor those giants, fortresses, and a vast ocean threatening to wipe out all hope of deliverance!

So what has this got to do with marriage, in particular, the Christian marriage? Well the Lord reminded me this morning of the Bible text, 'For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.' Matthew 18:20. When my husband and I gathered together on our wedding day before witnesses on earth and in Heaven, in the name of Jesus, God's presence was in the midst, and what is more powerful and comforting throughout all the storms that threaten to take a marriage out, is that God's presence NEVER LEAVES that marriage. Whatsoever is bound on earth, is bound in Heaven. While two people are married, God's presence is still in the midst, right in between that husband and wife. The God Who through His presence worked wonder working miracles and fought valiantly on behalf of His ancient people, when appearances cried defeat, is the same God Whose presence is in your marriage, my marriage. That is an awesome thought, when we consider the humungous giants that pop up in our union, as we walk with each other on the path to the Promised Land, Heaven!

What  the Lord is saying to me as a wife, and to you, dear wife, and yes, dear husband, is that when the devil comes into your home and your marriage like a flood, and it seems that the only way out is to EXIT the marriage, walk away, move on, or whatever despair tells you to do, remember this:

Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for GREAT is the Holy One of Israel IN THE MIDST of thee. Isaiah 12:6

God's presence Who is IN THE MIDST of you and your spouse, is GREAT, and if you are not sure just how great is that greatness, just take a look back at all the accounts in the Bible of what God's presence accomplished for His people when they turned their eyes to Him to deliver.

To the mountain of finances....Speak, "But the pillar of cloud......."
To the waters that separate us....Speak, "But the pillar of cloud...."
To the lack of submission and disrespect your wife is giving to you....Speak, "But the pillar of cloud..."
To the absence of leadership from your husband in the home....Speak, "But the pillar of cloud...."

Whatever the situation that comes to me as a wife day to day, I am to remember the presence of the Lord is with me, and in my marriage and home.