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Choose to Live in God's Presence

Ask most kids in Sunday School where God is and you’ll likely hear two answers: “Heaven” and “everywhere.” While we accept both answers as theological truth, we often live as if God were confined to His celestial palace.

God is disturbingly present throughout His creation and has been from the beginning. As early as Genesis 3, we read of “the presence of the LORD God” in the garden of Eden. Perhaps it is ironic, that in that first mention of the presence of God that He is seeking the fellowship of His people, while they were avoiding Him. That pretty much sets the pattern for the relationship throughout human history. However, our lives are ever so much richer when we acknowledge His presence and do some seeking of our own.

In fact, God repeatedly invites us to seek Him. David gave his best singers this challenge to present to the nation: “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice! Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! (1Ch 16:10-11 ESV)

The Psalms are full of references to seeking God. Some are commands, others highlight the results of consciously living in the presence of the Lord.

Several of the prophets repeatedly recognize the significance of God’s presence. Jonah fled from it (Jonah 1:3, 10). Zephaniah challenged people to be silent before Him (Zephaniah 1:7). Haggai reports the fear of the people in the presence of the Lord (Haggai 1:12).

Crossing over into the New Testament we have a reference to the refreshing presence of the Lord in the very first Christian sermon preached by Peter (Acts 3:19). Paul wrote that his “hope, joy and crown of rejoicing” was the anticipated reality of his friends in Thessalonica joining the crowd in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming (1 Thessalonians 2:19).

I’ll stop with the examples here, but suffice it to say that scripture makes it clear that God is present everywhere in His creation. At the same time, it is clear that humans have the capacity to acknowledge and seek that presence or to ignore, perhaps even trying to avoid, it. Until the Spirit of God begins working in an individual human heart, it is unlikely to even be aware of the presence of God and certainly is incapable of responding positively to it.

Christians, though, are without excuse. We have the presence of God within us, by the Spirit. But this doesn’t mean that we always live with a clear sense of the presence of God. This is something we must choose to do. Down through the centuries, the Christians on the cutting edge of the faith found themselves in that position precisely because they chose to experience the presence of God. They acknowledged God in even the least significant, routine activity.

Brother Lawrence, who wrote the classic “The Practice of the Presence of God,” had a deep aversion to kitchen work. Having this assignment could easily poison his mood and negatively impact those around him. He describes how he dealt with this in a way that allowed him to come to enjoy his culinary labours. He wrote: “The time of work does not with me differ from the time of prayer. In the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great a tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the Blessed Supper.”

The key to consciously living in God’s presence is to train the mind to remember the fact. When something unpleasant comes along, remember that God is right there with you. Speak to Him about it and let the knowledge of His presence minister to you and moderate your response. When a difficult task faces you, remember that God is in and around you. Share your apprehension about the situation with Him and let the knowledge of His presence support you as you take on the challenge. When you suffer devastating loss, remember that the God who suffered the loss of His relationship with His creation and then suffered the loss of His only Son to restore it is closer to you than any human ever has been or can be. Let the knowledge of his presence comfort you and lift your spirit.

On and on we could go. I confess my own weakness in this. My memory is so short. I often unthinkingly act as if the decision is mine alone to make, that the burden is mine alone to bear, that the challenge is mine alone to face. When this happens, I am inevitably disappointed. When I remember that God is with me, that His presence surrounds me, the outcome is quite different.

When we choose to live moment by moment in the presence of God, every aspect of our life is affected and we can experience that same tranquility of spirit that characterized the lives of those who have walked in His presence before us.

Ron Hughes
© Febuary 2009