It is blessed to be in the presence of the Lord. We enter into God’s presence by preparing our hearts. As we come close to the Lord, the Holy Spirit reveals any unforgiven sin in us. We confess our sins to the Lord and accept His loving mercy and forgiveness. Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;”. The word refreshing means renewal or revival, true revival begins with repentance, and then we become renewed and restored by the Holy Spirit. We need to approach the Lord with a contrite spirit. Psalms 51:10-12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”
Adam and Eve had intimate fellowship in the presence of God before they sinned. Since that time, sin has prevented our ability to be in the physical presence of God. Believers have the presence of God within us by virtue of His indwelling Holy Spirit. John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Further, John 15:4 says “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” Thus, the presence comes only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The reality of this presence comes from obedience to the Word of God. We are His chosen people. I Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:” What Peter says is that “we are chosen people who belonging to God.” If we belong to Him, His presence is certainly with us. We never lose the reality of God’s presence, no matter how badly we fail; The Lord is there to pick us up no matter how many times we fall. We can disappoint God because of our sins, but true believers never lose the presence of the Holy Spirit. We need to repent and ask for forgiveness from a gracious and merciful God. Psalms 130:3-4 “If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? 4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. “
The practical result of being in God’s presence is joy! The fellowship is sweet for those who walk with the Lord in obedience and faith. But the sweet fellowship that comes from obedience and trust in the Lord is not a passing feeling. It sustains us, especially during trials. Nehemiah 8:10 “, for “the joy of the Lord shall be your strength”. Further in James 1:2, we learn “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;” When we persevere through trials, proving to ourselves and to others that our faith is real, God’s presence increases, as does our joy
Dr Ashwin Drummond
Laddertoheaven.co.in