God’s Presence – Essential for Spiritual Renewal

We are exploring and experiencing nine essentials to keep and intensify the spiritual fervor in our lives and the church.

Today, we look at the absolute essential of the presence of God. We have often prayed that without God’s presence everything we do here is a waste of time. That is largely true!

It is also true that in too many churches in America, you can carry on just fine without the presence of God, so enmeshed are we in programs and promotion patterned after the ways of our consumer culture.

While we want to be culturally relevant in terms of communication and presentation, we cannot rely on the ways of the world to advance the kingdom of God.

What is the presence of God?

God’s omnipresence

God is everywhere. You cannot escape his presence.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

      Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

      If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

      and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

      and your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

      and the light about me be night,”

even the darkness is not dark to you;

      the night is bright as the day,

      for darkness is as light with you. Psalm 139:7–12 (ESV)

The psalmist realized – God is everywhere! In this reality there is great comfort and assurance. It inspires awe and fear and is a reason to worship!

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” 1 Kings 8:27 (ESV)

This verse is from Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple. While we have sacred places none can encompass God’s presence.

Thus says the LORD:

                  “Heaven is my throne,

      and the earth is my footstool;

                  what is the house that you would build for me,

      and what is the place of my rest? Isaiah 66:1 (ESV)

God is too awesome to be contained! Neither structure nor thought is capable of enclosing him.

God’s manifest presence

When we talk about the presence of God, we often mean the manifest presence. Manifest means ‘clear or obvious to the eye or mind.’

God’s omnipresence is different from his manifest presence. This is what Isaiah cried out for in this passage.

Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,

      that the mountains might quake at your presence—

as when fire kindles brushwood

      and the fire causes water to boil—

to make your name known to your adversaries,

      and that the nations might tremble at your presence! Isaiah 64:1–2 (ESV)

In Exodus 40:16–35, the phrase “as the Lord commanded him (Moses)” is repeated eight times. This marked the completion of the building and furnishing of the Tabernacle. In response to his obedience, God’s presence enveloped the entire tabernacle. Everything else stopped as the glory of God’s manifest presence prevailed.

It happened again at the dedication of Solomon’s Temple.

As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. And the priests could not enter the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’s house. When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 2 Chronicles 7:1–3 (ESV)

The incredibly elaborate work was completed after seven years. God blessed the labor with his manifest presence. Again, the “work” of worship stopped and spontaneous worship broke out instead!

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

                  “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;

                  the whole earth is full of his glory!”

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Isaiah 6:1–4 (ESV)

God’s presence is glorious and expectation shattering! In all the OT passages we have seen, there is smoke. Here there is an earthquake from the sounds of his voice. God’s presence brings us low!!

Ezekiel saw in visions the glory of God departing from the Temple and then entering the new temple.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples spent ten days in prayer.

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Acts 2:1–4 (ESV)

God’s manifest presence was accompanied by his supernatural power and experienced by those who believed, and witnessed by many who did not believe.

As the church grew, opposition came from the religious establishment. After one such confrontation, the disciples gathered to pray.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:31 (NIV)

Again, there was a physical manifestation of God’s presence as the place was ‘shaken.’ All those who prayed experience God’s presence in another way – they were filled with boldness. There is something transformational about experiencing God’s manifest presence. It strengthens our faith and profoundly empowers us.

God’s personal presence

God’s personal presence is a form of his manifest presence. It is God reaching down to us as individuals to help us and guide us.

In Genesis 1-3, Adam and Even enjoyed the regular presence of God in the garden. Sadly, sin separated that very special and sacred fellowship. But God was not done with us!

I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God. Exodus 29:45–46 (ESV)

God’s desire has always been to ‘tabernacle’ with his people. He urgently desires fellowship with those whose faith is in him and he takes the first step to establish this fellowship.

Jesus’ life and ministry is the greatest illustration of God’s desire to dwell with his people. Jesus was the living manifestation of the presence of God. Of course, he was the very personal presence of God as well! But there was more to come. He told his disciples:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16–17 (ESV)

This is the promise that became a reality at Pentecost. It becomes a reality at the moment we are saved. We must, by faith, realize this reality all the time! He is not only with us, he is in us – this is intensely personal.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV)

God’s presence is realized in our lives individually as followers of Jesus and corporately, as the body of Christ.  

The multitude of scriptures where God speaks to his prophets and apostles tells us that he is a personal self-revealing God. This has a profound effect on our faith and our life and also makes us more accountable.

What blocks it?

Nothing blocks his omnipresence. He is always everywhere

But we can block his personal and manifest presence.

Grieving his Spirit through stubbornness, resistance and hard-heartedness makes it impossible to experience his presence.

Clearly sin will block his presence. And since we must make a sincere effort to experience him in a special way, distraction and unbelief will make this impossible. If we deny the reality of his personal and manifest presence, we will confirm that with our lack of faith.

Finally, hypocrisy will definitely block his presence. Why do we seek him? Are we just religious thrill seekers trying to see what we can gain from the experience? Seeking him to experience him is an end in itself.  

What conditions makes it possible?

We have already seen that the obedience of the people in building the tabernacle and temple.

Engaging in praise and worship frequently ushers us into the manifest presence of God.  

Yet you are holy,

enthroned on the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 (ESV)

We must fully surrender to God to experience his presence in our lives. Anything less than this is insufficient for our spiritual welfare and renewal.

Faith is an absolute requirement to experience the presence and power of God. This is highlighted in Acts 1-2 and Acts 4, passages we have already referenced.

We must have patience. It is clear from scripture – God’s glorious manifest presence is not necessarily a continuous thing. We wait for him to act; we don’t lose heart; we don’t lose faith.

God responds when we focus on him; not what we need him to do or what we can get from him.

When we approach God in prayer, we open ourselves us to experience his presence in our lives.

What is our response?

As we experience his presence we must respond. Thanksgiving, worship, waiting and listening are all appropriate.

What will you now do to allow God to touch your life. This is a key to spiritual renewal.