By Steve Popoola
I read about a boy who every night had to walk past what he believed was a haunted house. A friend gave him a good luck charm to give him courage.
An adult said, “It’s sinful to be afraid. Trust God! Be brave!” But the boy was still afraid. Then someone told him, "I know what it means to be afraid, take my hand, I will go with you". The boy took the man's hand and he was no longer afraid.
In discussing the topic, Walking in His Presence, we will be looking at three aspects of God's presence.
- The Essential Presence of God: This refers to the omnipresence of God. By Omnipresence, we mean that God is everywhere at all times. The Psalmist emphasized this when He said, “Whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell (the grave), behold, thou art there” (Psalm 137:7-8)
Many struggle with this aspect of God, especially when bad things happen. The question is always, “Where was God when this happened?” The truth is, as humans, we are limited by time and space. We observe events according to a specific timeline and base our assumptions on the occurrence of those events.
On the other hand, God is not bound by time and space so His ways are cannot be measured as one continuous process of actions.
I have a lot of respect for one of the characteristics that sets women apart. It is their ability to multi-task. They can be cooking, texting, feeding a child and watching a TV show, all at the same time. No matter how I try, I could not do that. It is therefore not difficult for me to believe in God's ability to be everywhere at the same time.
- The Manifest Presence of God: This is when God shows up in such a way that His existence cannot be denied. After Solomon had completed the building of the temple in Jerusalem, the ark of the Lord was brought into the temple with sacrifices being made and the people worshiping with their voice and trumpetsm shouting “The Lord is good, His love endures forever!” Immediately, the temple was filled with a cloud so much so that the priests could not perform their service (2 Chronicles 5:17)
- The Cultivated Presence of God: This is the result of our actions in seeking and inviting the presence of God into our lives.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” James 4:8
“ Then Moses said to him, ‘If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Exodus 33:15
Moses understood what it meant to venture into the unknown without the presence of God. How many times have you taken decisions without seeking God's guidance? Without cultivating His presence in all we do, we are like a pilot flying a plane without navigation. When we understand that He knows the end from the beginning and knows the beginning from the end, then it becomes clearer to us why we should cultivate His presence.
How do we cultivate the presence of God in our lives? I have highlighted the following four essential tools for cultivating God's presence. The list is by no means exhaustive, but it is a good start.
- Through Prayer 1 Thess 5:17
2. Reflecting on God's word every day (Joshua 1:8)
3. Enjoy the life that we have been given (John 10:10)
4. Fellowship with the brethren. Do not isolate yourself. The church is a community, a family. It is not a building. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord. When we are in unity, God's presence abides with us (Psalm 133)
God is with us always but He wants us to create an environment that attracts His presence. When we cultivate His presence, we can be sure that we will have no trouble understanding what His will is.
Steve Popoola is the editor of Biblepraise Newsletter and the founder of the Biblepraise Fellowship Online at http://www.biblepraise.org. He lives in Kent, United Kingdom, where he works as an IT Professional. He currently serves as a Worship Leader as well as Home Group Leader in his local church and on occasion, speaks at invited events. He is the founder of the Biblepraise Fellowship Online Ministry and Moderator/Editor of the Biblepraise Newsletter. He can be reached through His email address, steve@biblepraise.org
