Is the presence of God still with you, even if you can’t feel it?
One reason why it’s difficult for unbelievers to place faith in God is because of their feeling and emotion, and those of us who are in Christ have sensed the presence of God with us and have witnessed His hand at work. The Apostle Peter comments on this in 1 Peter 1:8 when he said, “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.”
But we often face seasons that challenge our faith. Trials that cause us to doubt God’s nearness.
Are these harsh circumstances living proof that God has abandoned us? How can we trust that His presence is not merely a figment of our imagination?
In the Old Testament, God’s presence could only be made manifest in His dwelling place. It was there that His children could meet with God and have fellowship with Him.
It was so sacred, in fact, that Moses refused to journey to the promised land without God’s presence (Exodus 33:15). He knew it was the only way to survive the journey through the wilderness. So, Moses followed God’s instructions on how to build the Tabernacle. It’s here that God’s presence strengthened them and provided them with rest (Exodus 33:14).
God’s presence is His dwelling among us. Exodus 25:8 says, “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.”
So, God’s presence dwelt among His people through the person of Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus left to comfort His disciples.
Do you see how this played out? First, the Tabernacle was the original dwelling place for God’s presence, and then Jesus became our Tabernacle in the flesh. When He departed from earth, He left this dwelling through the power of the Holy Spirit.
And it’s through the Holy Spirit that God’s presence now abides within all believers today:
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” 1 Corinthians 6:19a.
“And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: ‘I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” 2 Corinthians 6:16.
Why was Moses so desperate for God’s presence to accompany them on their journey to the Promised Land?
It wasn’t merely so they could attain the benefits of His presence. Rather, it was so they could commune with the Person behind the presence.
After Jesus departed from earth, the Holy Spirit equipped the disciples to further the Gospel by empowering them with boldness. Before then, when Jesus was still on earth, these disciples were timid, don’t you think?
It was God’s presence within them that marked this transformation.
If we, too, hope to further God’s kingdom, then we need to be empowered by the same boldness.
Acts 4:13 says, “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”
If we enter God’s presence, we can be seen as special people who have been with Jesus as well. But without God’s presence, we risk blending in with the rest of the world.
Do You Know the Presence of God?
God’s presence…
Comforts us in times of trouble and loneliness.
Empowers us with confidence to further our calling.
Assures us of His perfect love.
Stills our anxious hearts, offering divine rest and refreshment.
Ushers us into freedom.
Renews our hearts and minds:
Reminds us of His sovereignty.
Shelters us and blesses us.
It’s easy to feel God’s face shine upon us when life seems to be going smoothly, right?
But I’ve discovered that the sun is always shining, regardless of whether there are storm clouds blocking my view.
Just like the seasons of life, our feelings are ever shifting. They’re unstable, an extension of our human nature. Yes, God created us with emotions for a purpose, and they are not bad within themselves, but we can’t always trust in them. We can only place our faith in the firm foundation of God’s Word because, unlike our emotions, it stands firm and forever (Psalm 119:89).
This means the promises of God’s presence is constant as well. The light of His presence still shines on us, even on those days when we see nothing but dark clouds. We are not called to live by feelings or even sight, but by faith alone (Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7).
Sometimes, on days when I’ve lost sense of God’s nearness, it’s because I’ve become too distracted by the busyness of life, yet this is even more of a reason why we must prioritize our daily times with God.
God is not distant. Our feelings and circumstances should never cause us to doubt His constant nearness.
He is here.
We don’t need to strive to enter His presence. We don’t even need to feel anything. We don’t need to look the part or perform good deeds to gain His attention.
We are simply invited to crawl into His lap and draw near to Him.
This is the purpose by which we were created—to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). We have the privilege of dwelling “in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6), from now and into eternity.
A glow that can only be made manifest in the light of God’s glorious presence.
WHOSOEVER WILL WORSHIP MINISTRIES
www.wwwmjesus.net
Assistant: Pastor Wesley Fulton
429 Bayou Rd, La Marque, Tx.77568
Need prayer Ch. Ph: 409/933-9878