Today I was meditating on a scripture, I simply couldn’t get it off my mind. It is found in Psalms 84:11, it says; “for the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”
Think about that scripture for a moment, Selah, stop and think about it. NO GOOD THING WILL HE WITHOLD from those who walk upright. God withholds NOTHING from the upright. Wow, what a promise!
After thinking about that scripture for a few hours, a question came to mind. Whom did God consider the upright? Almost as soon as I ask He led me to another scripture.
Psalm 140:13 says; surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence. Aha. So the upright are those who dwell in His presence…hmmm.
God will withhold nothing from those who choose to dwell in His presence. What is it that you are needing in your life today? Whatever it is, this word from the Lord makes provision for it by saying ‘I will withhold nothing from those who dwell in My presence.’
As I began to search through the word of God I found even more promises for those who are upright, who dwell in His presence. Let me share a few of them with you.
Psalm 37:18 says; “the LORD knows the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be forever.” Psalm 37:37 says; “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” Psalm 112:2 declares; “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Psalm 112:4 says; unto the upright there arises light in the darkness.”
Take a moment today and meditate on the promises of the upright, those who dwell in the presence of the Lord. Their promises include an inheritance, peace, a blessing for your children and grandchildren, and light in dark times.
I could not imagine there would be more promises then this but there are a couple more I want to share with you. Proverbs 11:11 says; by the blessing of the upright the city is exalted.
Do you have a heart for your city? Do you long to see your city exalted and cleansed from all evil? I know I do. This is a promise, not only for you but for your city…and this promise will manifest because of you and the blessing you carry. Isn’t that awesome?!
And finally, Proverbs 14:11 says; “the house of the wicked shall be overthrown: but the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish.”
The house of the wicked shall be overthrown BUT the tabernacle of the upright shall flourish. The first thing that caught my attention in this scripture is that the wicked persons dwelling is called a house, while the upright dwells in a tabernacle.
The wicked dwell in a house, which is defined simply as a place of dwelling. But the upright dwell in a tabernacle. A tabernacle is defined as follows; tabernacle is known in Hebrew as the Mishkan (“Residence” or “Dwelling Place”). It was a portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. It is said to have been built under Moses during the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness. Its elements were made part of the final Temple in Jerusalem about the 10th century BC. The fullest description of the Tabernacle describes an inner shrine (Holy of Holies) housing the Ark and an outer chamber (Holy Place), with a golden lampstand, table for shewbread, and altar of incense. This description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source, written in the 6th or 5th century BC. An earlier, pre-exilic source describes the Tabernacle as a simple tent-sanctuary.
Additionally, the Hebrew word points to another meaning. Mishkan is related to the Hebrew word to “dwell”, “rest”, or “to live in”, referring to the “[In-dwelling] Presence of God”, the Shekhina.
His presence is a place of rest, where we are to live and breathe and have our very being.
We, my friends, dwell in a holy place in God, which only solidifies that the upright dwell in the presence of God. We are to dwell, to make our daily abode in the very presence of God. I love how the Amplified bible says it; the house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will thrive.
The tent, meaning a portable place that can be moved whenever the presence of God moves. In the Old Testament, when the presence of God left a place, the people moved with it. When the presence of God settled in a place, the people settled with it. We, in this day and in this time are supposed to live our lives in the same manner. We are to go wherever the presence of God leads us and continually abide in His presence.
I loved when Moses said in Exodus 33; “if Your presence doesn’t go with us, do not send us up from here.” This scripture has been my life scripture. I don’t know how many times I have prayed ‘Father, if Your presence doesn’t go with me, I am not going.’ And you know what? He is always faithful to go with me.
Abiding in His presence; that is the Father’s plan for us, His presence, our dwelling place. Are you dwelling in His presence today? If so, partake of all the promises that go with it, declare them over your life and stay in His presence….there is peace there…there is provision there…there is blessing there…there is joy there…everything you need is found in one central location – in His presence. Flourish and shine in the presence of our Lord!
