The Presence of God

<sup>Yesterday I had the opportunity to catch up with a friend I hadn't spoken with for some time. We often have wonderful spiritual conversations that encourage me and challenge me in my faith. My friend shared with me that she felt it had been a very long time since she sensed the presence of God. Her faith remained, yet I sensed that she felt distant from God. 

I spent a brief time praying for God to make Himself known to her in unique ways that would make it obvious that He was with her. I also prayed that if there were any barriers (distractions or demons), in the way of her knowing His Presence that He would tear those barriers down and make the pathway to His throne clear.

When we are in love, we desperately want to know the presence of the one we love. It is difficult when our beloved feels distant. 

God promises that if we come near to Him, He will come near to us (James 4:8). This verse also says that we are to wash our hands and purify our hearts. In our relationship with God, it is important to examine our lives to see if there are things that might be in the way of us drawing near to Him.</sup> This is the action of allowing God to search our hearts and minds (Psalm 139:23).  We join King David in praying (Psalm 51): 

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

^{We need to remember that true love is rooted in more than just feelings. Certainly, there is great emotion tied to the experience of love. However, something deeper must be present. The description of love found in 1 Corinthians 13 goes much deeper than feelings:}

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

It takes more than emotions to live up to this highest ideal of love. All of the actions above are only possible as a conscious decision. We aren't always going to feel God's presence.

I think that this sense of missing God's presence also appears in the apparent silence of God. We pray, but don't hear His answer. Like Job, we trust in the sovereignty of God, yet we wonder why when we call out we hear no reply. 

It is in these times that we must persevere. James reminds us of this, as he refers to the prophets and, yes, even Job, as examples of those who persevered. (See James 5:10-12) We must continue to commune with God. He promises "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)

Keep your eyes and ears open... at just the right time, the God who loves you will show Himself to you in ways you never imagined!