The Merciful presence of God

Isaiah 41:19 "...the acacia (shittim) and the mrytle ...."

It is amazing to see what God can do, when we allow Him to be in charge. As we continue to allow the Holy Spirit to purify us, we see more things sprouting up in the wilderness. Too often we want to continue to hang around in our desert or wilderness, even though we see His divine road signs directing us which way to go. We want to keep going on our way and then we wonder why we are so dry inside.

He keeps directing us to enter His merciful presence. The shittim or Acacia tree was used to build the Ark of the Covenant. It also was used to build the table of shewbread and the altar of incense. These were articles in the Holy place and the Holy of Holies. They were representations of God's presence as well as participation in His presence. At that time, only the priests could enter the Holy place. Now we are all part of the royal priesthood. We are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace and find mercy and grace in our times of need. (Heb 4:16)

When we are at our worse, we need to run in to His presence and allow Him to shower us with His grace and mercy. Why is it we always wait until we think we are 'good enough' before we come to God? Ephesians 2:8&9, remind us, we are not entering with our own works. We are able to approach God because of what Jesus did on the cross.

So, are we just going to enter His presence? What do we do there? The myrtle tree was used in the feast of the tabernacles (booths, ingathering). It acknowledges God as provider and Savior. It expressed joy and a humbleness of heart. It was a reminder of obedience to God's ways. There was a time of forgiveness and reconciliation.

In entering God's Holy presence, we will see our lack. We will be humbled. However, we will also see His unconditional mercy and love. We can rejoice in His unfailing love and mercy. We can revel in His grace. He has forgiven us so we can now go out and be forgiving and merciful to all those around us. We need to allow the acacia and myrtle to be evident in our lives. Watch as it springs up and starts bringing life not only to ourselves but to those around us.