by Nancy Taylor Tate
“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God” Psalm 84:2.
Years ago, I asked the Lord that if I ever were to have a ministry, it would be marked by His presence. This continues to be my desire today. First and foremost, I want the presence of the Lord to mark my own life, but also any corporate gatherings that I might be responsible for.
I’ve mentioned a little song that I have loved for many years: “For I was born to be Thy dwelling place, a home for the presence of the Lord. So let my life now be separated Lord to Thee, that I might be what I was born to be.” This continues to be my desire.
We must be well established in the “fact” of God’s presence. Psalms 139:7-12 makes it clear, the Lord is omnipresent. As Jonah found out, there is nowhere we can go to flee from His presence.
Yet scripture also speaks of the “manifest” presence of God. The word manifest speaks of the Lord revealing, or making Himself known in such a way that His presence is apparent even to our natural senses.
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” John 14:21.
I began this book by talking about a “revelation of a relationship.” I’ve mentioned Hattie Hammond numbers of times because the Lord used her to “open my eyes” to see a love relationship, which we too can have with the Lord. There came a hunger inside me, for more than I was experiencing at the time.
I also saw the beauty of a life deeply embedded with worship. There was an atmosphere of worship that I sensed when I was near her, something which went beyond words. I remember one occasion, when I was blessed to drive her home. She was sitting silently next to me, yet an atmosphere of worship filled the car; the sense of God’s presence was tangible. Later, I realized that worshipful atmosphere was her home; the place where she was accustomed to living.
Isaiah 6 speaks of the Lord sitting upon a throne and his train filling the temple. In that presence of God, as worship declared His holiness, the posts of the door moved, and the house was filled with smoke. That smoke speaks of the glory of the Lord. In that glory Isaiah, a prophet, experienced a further repentance, then he was given a word to speak.
As we value the presence of the Lord, and take time to spend time with Him, He will reveal, or make Himself known to us. In His presence, as we behold him, we are changed by His spirit. 2 Corinthians speaks of being changed from glory to glory. This inner change brings us into a deeper place of fellowship with the Lord.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” 2 Corinthians 3:18.
As the Lord is invited into our lives and His throne is established within our hearts, the peace of His presence will not only fill our lives, but begin to impact those about us. This becomes my daily experience as I learn to maintain my fellowship with Him throughout the day, sharing all of life’s experiences with Him. I learn to abide in Him, as He abides in me.
We are to seek the Lord with all our hearts. His presence is not just “an experience.” His presence is what surrounds Him, where He is welcome and His throne has been established.
As this desire for the presence of the Lord has grown in my life, I have been encouraged by the life of Moses.
As the Lord was establishing the tabernacle of Moses, He said,
“And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God” Exodus 29:45.
Later, the children of Israel grieved the Lord. Because of this, though the Lord was still going to use Moses and allow him to lead Israel to Canaan, He said to Moses,
“Depart and go … and I will send My Angel before you … to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst … for you are a stiff-necked people” Exodus 33:1-3 NKJV.
But Moses desired something much more than merely coming into “a land that flowed with milk and honey.” He desired the Lord Himself to be in their midst. Therefore, instead of being excited about “the blessings” ahead, he began to mourn. He took the tabernacle and set it up outside the camp. Then he prayed,
“Show me now Your way, that I may know You, and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people” Exodus 33:13b NKJV.
The Lord responded and said,
“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” Exodus 33:14 NKJV.
Then Moses replied,
“If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” Exodus 33:15 NKJV.
In other words, Moses said, “I do not want just the blessings; I desire Your presence in our midst, in the very center of what we are doing.”
“For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So shall we be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth” Exodus 33:16 NKJV.
The Lord responded to Moses’ desire for His presence and said to him,
“I will also do this thing that you have spoken: for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name” Exodus 33:17 NKJV.
Moses could have been satisfied with just the promised blessings of God. But he interceded for the presence of the Lord, that God Himself would be in their midst. The Lord saw that He was valued, and wanted, and He remained.
We see this same principle of the Lord being constrained in Luke 24:15-32. Following His resurrection, Jesus was walking with His disciples but they did not realize who He was yet. Jesus shared from the scriptures concerning Himself, then He started to go. But they constrained Him, saying, “abide with us.” So, rather than leaving, He tarried with them. Later their eyes “opened” and they knew it was Jesus.
Our God is a seeking God. Yet He comes in only where He is wanted, then further makes Himself known. He is seeking those today who would hear His knock and desire His presence.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” Revelation 3:18.
May we be as Moses, who interceded for the presence of the Lord in an intense desire that the Lord come and remain. May we never become satisfied with just the things of God, but always value His presence, loving Him above all else.
“Parousia” is a New Testament Greek word that relates to the Second Coming of Christ; this word also relates to the “Presencing” of the Lord, in which He is beginning to reveal Himself in a greater and more personal way to those who have come apart to seek Him.
Today, we can believe for His “presencing” in greater ways. May we live our lives in inner communion with Him. May the beauty of a life deeply embedded with worship mark our lives also. There is a relationship that is available, a growing love relationship with the Lord.
My prayer is simply this, teach us Lord, the ways of Your presence…