It began in the garden, when God walked daily with Adam and Eve.
Sin invaded, and separated us from His presence. Sure, God is –– and always has been –– omnipresent, all-present, everywhere at all times. But from the beginning, there also has been a difference between God's omnipresence and His manifest presence.
God came in different forms: through the form of angels, of a burning bush, of fire and cloud, of a tabernacle and an ark, even the form of a gentle whisper.
Things changed when a baby was born in Bethlehem.
Yeshua, Immanuel, God with us.
God now dwelt among man. Jesus changed everything, but He only dwelt among a few men. The difference was coming.
As Immanuel breathed His last breath on the cross, the veil in the temple was ripped apart, and the presence of God was now available to every man. For those who believed in Jesus' name, the Holy Spirit would now come and dwell within.
The Bible's narrative of history concludes with a promise of what is to come. Revelation 21:3 says,
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man."From the beginning, God created so that man might dwell in His presence.
We've seen different movements try to understand the way God's presence works.
It began with the Desert fathers, who devoted themselves to deep practices of prayer, seeking union with God.
There have been the Catholic mystics, such as Teresa of Avila and (of course) Brother Lawrence, seeking to know God's presence and hear Him speak.The Eastern Orthodox church has traditionally centered it's spirituality around focusing the mind and heart on the presence of God so that we might be shaped in the image of Christ.
The Reformers came along and developed “Catechisms,” systems of questions and answers by which we can pass along truth to each generation. What’s the first catechism of all the Reformed movements? “What is the primary purpose of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Our purpose is to enjoy God Himself. Not what God does, we enjoy who He is.
Puritans such as Jonathan Edwards followed a similar idea: Our emotions drive our actions, and our emotions should be turned toward God. God created us to be satisfied by knowing Him.
More recently, we have the Pentecostal church, believing that God still manifests Himself with physical signs (such as healing and miracles), and that the Holy Spirit is even responsive to our worship. Tragically, many Christians today will mock Pentecostals for "sensationalism" and “nonsense." However, it is undeniable that the God of Scripture was the hope of the world (and still is!) and often invaded earth to manifest Himself in more ways than merely His omnipresence. This is at the heart of the Charismatic movement.
In every stream, there is an understanding that it is in the place where we meet God –– whether in solitude or corporately –– and come before His throne room, that the Christian finds the source of his life, power, and sanctification.
Whether or not we agree with every belief or action from any given denomination, we must recognize the common thread in all of our approaches to the spiritual life: God's presence.
By His blood, Jesus purchased for us the right to enter into the very presence of God. And it is in His presence alone, we find all that we long for.
I'm not going to venture to solve what no two denominations have ever agreed on. I won't tell you that God's presence works only in specific avenues. It's not an equation. And part of me has a sneaky feeling that God doesn't want us to figure it out. He wants us to simply know this: We need Him. We need His presence.
- Is there something in your life that's keeping you from God? Confess it.
- Have you noticed a profound lack of...stillness in your life? Spend some time tomorrow morning just being still before God, letting your mind focus on Him.
- Do you feel like you've been believing in God, but living kind of like an atheist? Invite Him into your day. Try to be aware, each moment, of His abiding presence with you.
- Are you struggling with an emotion that keeps you from wanting God? Maybe anxiety, bitterness, anger, depression, envy. Spend some time just thanking God and worshiping Him for who He is. The feelings might not go away immediately, but God's presence will be more real to you than before.
- Are you confused? Not sure who to believe about all this stuff? I can tell you this: I'm wrong about a lot of things, and I could be wrong about some of this too. But I know this: I need God, and you need Him too. You don't have to know everything. Just tell God that you need Him.
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Evan Smith
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