God Reveals His Presence

When God made Himself known in the Old Testament, even the most righteous souls were at once terrified. Though these men and women faithfully obeyed God and sought hard after Him, they were undone when they actually encountered Him.

In the New Testament, it’s quite the same. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transformed before their eyes. Matthew 17:2 tells us that when Jesus was on the mountain, His “face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” When God’s voice thundered from heaven, the men fell facedown and were terrified.

Later, in John 18, we see that when the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus and He asked who they were looking for, they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus stepped forward and said, “I AM he.” And the sheer power that flowed from those words knocked a large contingent of soldiers off their feet. Jesus proved that they weren’t taking His life; He was freely giving it.

God’s presence is power. He has no rival. Psalm 73:26 says God is the strength of our hearts and our portion forever. So why doesn’t everyone long for more of His presence?

When Jesus ministered healing and wholeness to the broken and hurting, some of the townspeople begged Him to stay, while others begged Him to leave. Why such different responses? I’ve noticed in Scripture that whenever God revealed His majesty and power, people had to make a choice: to move toward God or away from Him.

The fact that our star-breathing God looks upon this pebble of a planet and takes great care to know about every detail of our lives is invitation enough to seek Him in ways you and I never have before. As we pursue the heart of God, through the Word of God, we more clearly understand the presence of God.