Soaking in the Presence of God

I found a neat website that talked about what it means to be in God’s presence. I know in a few messages back I had mentioned this so I’ve included this message to clear up any confusion.


Being in the presence of the Lord could arguably be considered the single most important part of our lives. While in a sense, it is always with us and we cannot live without it, we find ourselves hungering for it more and more.

While God is omnipresent, and His presence is always with us, we continue to long for an encounter with the Presence of God. When we talk about experiencing the presence of the Lord, we are talking about the realization of God’s presence – of perceiving His presence and being conscious of Him. Practicing His presence through worship is one of the most valuable things we can do. God has promised that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us and we will experience His presence in ever increasing measures.


In a different part of the website it went on to say…

God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere at all times. David said in Psalm 139:7, “Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence?” He concludes that there is no place that we can hide from God’s presence – He is everywhere and sees everything. Because of this we can know that we are never alone and that He shall never leave us nor forsake us.
Abiding in the Presence of God - How to Live in the Presence of God
As well as being omnipresent, God also dwells in the believer. The indwelling presence of God is given to all who believe. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16.

However, His omni-presence, and the indwelling of His Spirit, does not stop us from longing after the Presence of God. How can we long and hunger for something that is already all around us and dwells within us? When we talk about experiencing the presence of the Lord, we are really talking about the realization of abiding in God’s presence – of being able to perceive His presence and becoming conscious of Him. It is as much as case of increasing our awareness of His presence as it is an increase of His presence itself.

Experiencing the Power of God
Although God is always with us, it is obvious that there are times when His presence is with us in greater measure, and we experience God’s intimate presence in a greater capacity. The manifest presence of God is what brings power. God's manifest presence is what changes lives and reveals the glory of God.
Ushering in the Presence of God - How to Bring Down the Presence of God

God reveals Himself to those that earnest seek Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). If we want to walk in the presence of the Lord, then we need to be practicing the presence of God. One of the major ways we can do this is through worship. By placing ourselves before Him in a place of adoration, we make room for Him, and through focusing our attention on Him, increase our awareness of being in the Presence of God in our lives. Learning how to soak in God's presence through worship is one of the most valuable things we can do with our time. God has promised that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us and we will experience Him with us in ever increasing measures. This how to abide in the presence of God, by abiding in worship.

Abiding in God's Presence through the Word of God
Another way to abide in the presence of God is to practice abiding in His Word. Jesus said, "if you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you will ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you." This is because abiding in Him means we will ask according to the Father's will. Jesus is always present with His Word. Abiding in the word of God will always bring an increase in the sense of His manifest presence.


I really liked this message, because I believe it is what I needed to hear. Recently I have felt I have been doing so much FOR God, but not enough WITH God. I do not mean to say that it is wrong for us to serve for the Lord, no, we are called to do this. However, by only serving we are becoming like Martha (for the story of Martha and Mary, see Luke 10:38-42) and forgetting the most important part of any relationship – spending time together! :) So let us be like Mary and draw near to the Lord and soak in His Presence.

God be with you!
<3 Shannon

And a perfect song to start the morning… :)
“Here With Me” by MercyMe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74CNUExD4I8