The Ark, the Clock, and the Blessing

Most people clock in with coffee, earbuds, and a silent prayer that “today won’t be a dumpster fire.” But you? You’ve got the Ark of the Covenant with you. Not the gold box from Indiana Jones, but the real thing it represented — God’s presence. Back in the Old Testament, the Ark sat in the Most Holy Place, surrounded by enough rules that if you touched it wrong, you could die on the spot. Now, because of Jesus, you carry that same presence inside you… into the break room, into Zoom calls, into the conversation with the coworker who clips their nails at their desk (please, Lord, stop them).

Your workplace needs more than your work ethic. Work ethic can get you a raise. God’s presence can get you peace in a room full of chaos. It can give you words that disarm anger. It can drop a joy bomb on a Monday morning so people start wondering why you’re not normal... and that’s the point!

But here’s the problem. Presence and rushing do not mix. Jesus never ran. He didn’t jog to heal Jairus’ daughter. He didn’t sprint to the tomb of Lazarus. He moved with a pace that left room for interruptions like blind men yelling from the roadside, a woman reaching out in a crowd, kids climbing into His lap while the disciples tried to shoo them away. Rushing is what makes you miss the God moments hiding in plain sight.

Obed-Edom didn’t rush either. He had the Ark in his house for three months. Three months where the very presence of God sat under his roof. I imagine his kids playing in the yard and his neighbors whispering, “What is going on over there? Their crops look healthier. Their cattle aren’t sick. Even their dog stopped biting the mailman.” The blessing was so obvious, it reached King David’s ears.

That’s the Obed-Edom Effect: when you make space for God’s presence, it doesn’t just change you but it spills over into everything connected to you. Your home. Your workplace. Your attitude. Your relationships. Even your email tone.

So what if you spent this season doing the same?

What if you walked into work tomorrow knowing you carry the presence of God?
What if you slowed your pace enough to hear Him whisper before you responded to the client, before you disciplined the kid, before you texted back that friend?
What if you looked back at the end of summer and could see the fingerprints of God all over your life — not because you worked harder, but because you walked closer?