“And he said I myself will go with you and give you rest. And Moses said, if you yourself are not going with us, do not send us on from here” (Ex. 33:14-15).
The Bible passage talks about Moses, the servant of God, who enjoyed the best of God’s presence during the wilderness experiences. His greatest desire was to have God going with him or in other words, God’s presence going with him. The journey of life requires God’s presence, be ye in marriage, career, and other facets of life. This week, we shall examine Enjoy God’s presence in your marriage. Marriage is an Institution ordained by God. The birth of the first marriage was recorded in the book of Genesis 2:21-25. Firstly, Adam enjoys God’s presence before Eve joined him in the journey of lifetime. But God’s full presence was felt after God made Eve out of Adam. The completeness of man is not outside his marriage. His completeness is found in his spouse (Gen. 2:24). The presence of God is no more felt in many families, today, because the old serpent is allowed in the family. In Genesis chapter 3, the presence of the Lord disappeared from the first family as a result of external infiltration. The family that enjoys the presence of God before now runs from God’s presence. “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife his themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8).

What are the things that remove God’s presence?
• God’s presence can be removed in the family through the voice we listen to. Human beings run into problems in marriage, today, because we hear many words from every side, as they say. If your family wants to enjoy God’s presence, let them limit the voice and people speaking to you. Your friends will say many discouraging words, such as; “I can’t take it,” while she is taking many things.

• God’s presence can be removed in the family through what you see. The man especially, will see many attractive objects around (opposite sex), but when you close your eyes from societal distractions, you are free from going out of His presence.

• God’s presence can be removed in the family through what you eat. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes…” (Gen. 3:6). Husband and wife should have self-control with regard to what they eat, as uncontrolled eating habit outside the matrimonial home is dangerous to a healthy relationship.

Finally, you can enjoy God’s presence in your marriage when you listen to God’s instructions. Again, staying together all the time makes you enjoy more of His presence. Ability to take decision together as a couple brings God’s presence down into the family. Have you moved out of God’s presence? Invite God back to your marriage and you will enjoy more of His presence.

Rev Dr. Emmanuel Ojo, Christ the Rock Baptist Church, Mende, Maryland, Lagos.
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