Closer to GodSample

What Is God’s Manifest Presence?

God’s abiding presence with His people is the main storyline of Scripture. So with the Psalmist we gladly can say:

"Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7–10)

If we know God’s heart toward us, this feels like good news—really good news. But if we don’t know God’s heart toward us, this can feel like bad news, as demonstrated by an image I saw on a young woman’s hoodie.

It was a picture of Jesus in a long white robe, peeking his head out from behind a wall, with a disapproving look on his face and a word bubble above his head that read, “I saw that!” I’ll admit, I laughed at first, but then sadness washed over me because the message was clear: Jesus is the creepy spy guy, always watching and waiting to catch you messing up.

That’s not Jesus.

Yes, Jesus is omnipresent, meaning He is always present, but His presence is not creepy. It’s our confidence!

His manifest presence, on the other hand, is His experienced or known presence. It’s hearing His voice, sensing His withness, or seeing His hand at work through His Spirit.

The Spirit’s presence is the manifestation of the Trinity among us today, meaning, whenever you sense God’s presence, you are sensing the work of the Holy Spirit!

We cannot force God to manifest himself, making His love known and His presence felt, but we do know God loves to do this. Having our hearts open to and aware of His presence can bring vibrancy to the most tedious and commonplace parts of our day.

He desires for you to experience His love and to go deeper into love! The more aware we are of His manifest presence, the more we will live in awe and healthy, holy, fear of Him. The more overwhelmed we are by His loving presence, the more we will walk in obedience to His Word because we won’t want to do anything to diminish this priceless gift. Awareness of His presence protects us from choosing sin over Him!