How about adding a new word to your vocabulary? Would you like to try ‘Shechinah’? It means ‘presence’ or ‘residence.’ Sound insignificant? Maybe, but knowing it can mean stability and comfort for any trial or crisis you experience in life.
Let me explain. When the Israelites were stomping around in the wilderness they had a strange leader. No, I’m not talking about Moses, I’m talking about the Pillar. A pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night to lead and protect them was called the Shechinah Glory and signified the presence or residence of God.
This pillar provided guidance and protection for them while wandering in the wilderness. The Israelites moved when the pillar move. When it stopped, they stopped. When the Israelites were threatened from the back, the pillar moved to the rear to protect them. When something stopped them from moving forward, God took it out of the way or stood between them and the danger. When they were hungry, God fed them. When thirsty, He gave them drink. God was always there. His residence, the Shechinah, was always in their midst.
Did you know we have something better than the Israelites did? Something much, much better! The Shechinah Glory was in their midst, or external from them. Through Christ the believers have the Shechinah Glory dwelling within. God dwells within the believer to give protection, guidance, and sustenance with the same power He demonstrated for the Israelites. Therein lies the difference between ‘them’ and ‘us’ (Heb. 11:40). They were used by God as a picture of His residence but now we are the reality, the substance. And, WOW, is it ever a BIG difference!
They had to follow only by the use of their physical eyes, by their physical senses. They saw with their eyes the power of God in guiding and protecting them. Unfortunately, they saw only to the end of their noses. God had performed many miracles in their midst but when it came to trusting Him to provide further for them, the end of their noses stopped and they could see no further for they were still in the flesh. This is what it is to trust only that which we can see with our physical eyes.
God brought them out of Egypt in order to being them to the Promised land but because they were only in the physical, the old Adam, they could not trust Him to do so and that whole generation perished in the wilderness. Only two of the old generation actually could see with spiritual eyes and entered the land. As external guidance didn’t get the Israelites into the promised land, external guidance will get us nowhere near the spiritual land.
For us, since Christ, we have the Shechinah glory dwelling with us. It is guiding and protecting from inside of us instead of external from us. When we are regenerated (conception) by the sovereign power of God He gives our dead ‘in Adam’ spirits newness of life. Because we have that new spiritual life then when we hear the Gospel, the Good News, that Christ died for our sins we become believers (conversion). When that happens we start living in the spiritual promised land. We begin seeing with spiritual eyes rather than physical eyes.
(Eph 1:11-14 KJV) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,) which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
We can now see with spiritual eyes and know that the inheritance is ours. When our past pops up to condemn us the Shechinah glory within us stands between us and our past because Christ died for all our sins. When thoughts of the future brings fear the Shechinah glory stands between us and the fear of the future because we are already seated in Christ in the heavenly promised land. “ (Eph 2:4-7 KJV) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” When we see through spiritual eyes and not according to the eyes of the flesh we can see that He brought us out of Egypt (picture of our sins) and has brought us into the promised land (picture of eternal life). We have something much, much better than the Israelites did stomping around in this wilderness place called earth. Now all we have to do is learn daily to see and trust the Lord through seeing with spiritual eyes the very Presence (Shechinah) of Him dwelling within us as He has taken up His residence within us and know that He is faithful to guide and protect.
Know that the Shechinah Glory has taken up His residence within you to sustain and guide. Nothing from your past can condemn you because the Shechinah is between you and your past. Nothing in the future can threated you because the Shechinah is before and has already cleared the way. Not only has he cleared the way, He has already taken us beyond our physical future. Eph. 2:1-7, Col. 2:1-3
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