We desire the presence of God in our lives. He is always present in the true believer, but we are often not aware of and relying upon His presence. It is possible to have His presence, but not acknowledge or experience His presence, which is the cause of all spiritual failure in believers’ lives. And experiencing His presence is not automatic. If you long for God, consecrate yourself. It is the first and best thing you can do to draw near. 

There is nothing more important or valuable than the presence of God. If you are experiencing His presence—personally, deeply—you have everything that matters and lasts. Without His presence, you are tragically adrift. “Without Me,” Jesus said, “You can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).

The new king of Israel, David, knew this, and the secret of his success since his youthful days on the hillsides of Israel had proved it. God was with him, and that was what mattered. That was why bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the capital city of Israel was so important as one of his first acts when he became King.

The Ark represented God’s presence to all of Israel. Bringing it into Jerusalem was symbolic but also real. It showed the whole nation what was most important. It honored God and placed Him in the most central and visible earthly place. Set on a hill, Jerusalem was the designated capital and the place where the nation looked.

First Attempt

David made an attempt to bring the Ark to Israel, but a foolish error by one of the men who carried it cost that man his life. David learned there was more to this. He left the Ark where it was for three months … months where he, no doubt, studied and prayed about what went wrong and how to remedy it.

According to God’s Order

Now David was ready and listen to what he had learned.

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