When Moses tenaciously requested that the presence of the Almighty God should follow them in their journey to the Promised Land, he knew what he was doing (Exodus 33:14-16). Many children of God don’t value the presence of God, and so they don’t bother to ensure that they are in His presence or that He is present in their situations. The proof of this observation can be seen in what some so-called children of God do in supposedly secret places. If such people had formed the habit of craving God’s presence wherever they go, they would not indulge in such things. Nobody would steal or fornicate if he or she desires or carries God’s presence wherever he or she might be.
 
From 1 Samuel 6:10-12, the signs of God’s presence in the household of Obed-Edom were apparent. David, out of fear of death, rejected the presence of the Lord symbolised by the Ark of the Covenant, because Uzzah died suddenly when he erroneously touched it. An adage in my native tongue says: “Cutting off the head is not the right cure for a headache.” This was exactly what David did; he rejected the presence of the Lord instead of finding out how to behave in God’s presence. A lot of people don’t want to come to Church because they feel sad whenever they come. They feel sad because the pastor makes them feel guilty by his sermons! Such people don’t know what they are missing when they run away from God’s presence. Psalm 16:11says:
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
 
Three months after David had shunned the presence of the Lord as represented by the Ark, God had so blessed the house of Obed-Edom who accepted the Ark, that David himself heard about it. David then realised his folly in rejecting the presence of the Lord. The Bible in 2 Samuel 6:12 says:
“And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.”
When I encourage some of my children to surrender their houses for use as House Fellowship meeting points, some do not realise that I’m only trying to bring God’s presence into their homes for blessings and protection. God will not allow evil in any house being used as a meeting place for His praise. I pray that God’s presence shall be upon you and you will rejoice in Jesus’ Name. Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.