One of the most popular subjects among passionate followers of Christ today is the presence of God. There have been hundreds of books and thousands of sermons preached on this subject, not to mention all the conferences, seminars, and even schools centered on it. Oh yeah, and all the songs too. There are men and women who have dedicated their entire lives to the pursuit of a greater understanding of this topic.
Having been in church circles for the past 30 plus years or so that put a premium on the presence of God, I’ve seen, heard and read so much about it that my conceptual understanding of it can be clouded at times.
Being somewhat of a wordsmith, I am very cognizant of concepts that are conveyed by the way we use words and phrases, especially when we’re speaking “Christianese.” If you’re not as concerned as I am about words and the concepts they bring, then you may view what I’m about to say as nitpicking. Believe me, it’s not.
- We don’t have to ask Him to come. He’s already here. This is true individually and corporately. He’s dwells within me as an individual by His Spirit. He dwells with us corporately because He said “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20) No, I’m not demanding that we do away with every song that says “come Holy Spirit.” Instead of judging it for being scripturally inaccurate, I choose to see it as an expression of love for Holy Spirit who is already in our midst (although sometimes I wonder if He’s leaning over to one of the angels and saying “please go and let them know I’m already there”).
- He’s not going to leave if we don’t do everything just right. Why have an Old Covenant mentality that if we don’t dot every i and cross every t, He’ll be displeased and separate Himself from our midst? He wants to be with us more than we want to be with Him!
If all of this is true, then why are there times when we sense His presence more than others? Why do we have church services where we get so overwhelmed by His presence and then have some where we hardly feel anything at all?
I believe it can be summed up in one word: awareness. God has told us he will never leave us or forsake us, so if He is true to His word, then I have His presence at all times. Psalm 139:7-8 says,
“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”
If He is always with us, even to the extent that we can’t even run or hide from Him, then when I can’t feel His presence, the problem lies with me. I can choose whether to be aware or ignore Him.
Here are 5 ways we can be more aware of His presence: (By the way, these are from my own personal experience and the school of hard knocks)
- Be thankful. Just begin to thank Him for anything, for everything, and in everything. I remember one time a few years ago, I sat down with a pen and tablet and started making a list of everything and everybody that I was thankful for. Two-and-a-half pages later I had to put the pen down because I was so overwhelmed with joy I could hardly contain myself. And as an added bonus, I completely forgot about my problems.
- Talk to Him. This is otherwise known as prayer. When you talk to your Father, speak from your heart. When I’m alone with God, I call Him “Papa.” When the words “I love you, Papa” come out of my mouth, I can literally feel His presence in a very real way. Of course I can’t neglect praying in the Spirit. Speak in your prayer language. If you don’t have one, ask Him for one. He’ll give it to you. He’s so good!
- Meditate. Think deeply about Him. Let the word of God that you know in your heart come to mind and let it just roll around in your head. Philippians 4:8 is a good place to begin. When we consciously redirect our thoughts from our present circumstance to Him, we become aware of His presence.
- Worship. By yourself and with others. Music helps me a lot. I’ll sing, hum, whistle, or listen to some good worship music. Gather with others to worship as often as you can. There is something exponentially awesome that happens when we gather together to love and adore Jesus!
- Love unconditionally. We are never more like Jesus than when we love. Especially when we love the unlovely. The gospels have much to say about this.
I’m pretty sure this is not an exhaustive list, but these are the things that have helped me the most to be more aware of His presence.
Just remember, He is always with you.
Simply be aware.
In His presence,
Kevin