Doors and the Presence of God

While in Hong Kong 30 years ago, I experienced a panicky event. My family and I were amongst a large crowd of people seeking to enter an elevator. When the doors opened to the elevator, I found myself swiftly moved into the elevator. To my horror, I turned around and watched the unstoppable elevator doors shut me in and my family out! I traveled to the next floor amongst a tight pack of people that spoke a different language and seemed to move as one mass. Being separated from my family in a strange place was a frightening experience as I thought I might not see them again (this was before cell phones)! When the doors opened, I quickly got out and waited. I was relieved when the next group on the elevator carried my precious family! Leaving the presence of my family in a foreign land was a traumatic (though brief) event that I did not want to repeat. The presence of those we love and find our comfort and guidance in speaks to our greater need to experience the presence of God. Beautifully, God wants us to experience His presence and dwell with us as indicated by the Scriptures.

In Genesis 1 and 2, we observe God dwelling with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Later in Scripture, we are reminded of God’s continued general omnipresence in Jeremiah 23:24 as God fills the heaven and earth and His intimate presence in Psalm 139. Also, God visualizes His presence with His people in Exodus 13:21-22 in the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire as He leads them through the wilderness. Afterword, God dwells in the sanctuary (Exodus 25:8) and among His people (Leviticus 26:11-12).

Furthermore, Scripture contains incidents where God temporarily indwells people to empower them for special services for Him. God’s Spirit comes upon Samson in in Judges 14:6, 19, and 15:14 but leaves him in 16:20. God’s Spirit rushes upon David as king in 1 Samuel 16:13 but departs Saul in 1 Samuel 16:14. Sadly, individuals can hide from God’s presence like Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:8 or go away from His presence as Cain did in Genesis 4:16.

Graciously, the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) through Jesus! And Jesus is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3). Then out of God’s great mercy and grace, God’s Spirit indwells believers in Christ (Romans 8:9) as His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16). In the future, God will gloriously dwell with His people as cited in Revelation 21:3, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.” What a wonderful, yet utterly incomprehensible, time to look forward to for every believer in Christ.       

So, I ask myself and you, “What difference does it make that we can experience the presence of God throughout our life on earth as believers in Christ?” Possible answers include the following. God is accessible at all times; therefore, I can continually communicate with Him. I can trust Him to guide, protect, and comfort me specifically throughout my days. I can be confident that He will empower me to do His work. I can expect Him to convict me of sin in order to transform me more into His Son’s image. Also, being aware of His presence leads me to a deeper awareness of His activity in, through, and around me for which I can praise Him for.

Furthermore, I want to put and keep practices in my life that develop my sensitivity to His presence. These practices include prayer, Bible study, repentance, Scripture memory, fellowship with believers, worship, and thanksgiving. Which of these practices do you need to incorporate more consistently in your life in order to experience the presence of God in a fuller way?   

Recently, I was separated from my husband in a foreign country when the bus driver told him to get off the bus. Though I didn’t know what was going on, I immediately got off the bus and tenaciously followed my husband to find he entered the bus from another door. Though I found myself separated from my family in a foreign country as previously happened 30 years prior, this time I did not panic. I did something about the separation (I got off the bus and followed my husband)! When I sense a separation from God, I want to tenaciously incorporate practices such as prayer, repentance, Bible study, memorization, fellowship, and worship. What practices do you need to tenaciously incorporate in your life in order to sense the presence of God in deeper and consistent ways?