How Do I Hinder The Enjoyment Of His Presence? - How to Enjoy God’s Personal Presence

“And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:8-9, ESV)

There are countless examples of God’s manifest presence in Scripture, and I share a few at the end of today’s devotional. Each one of the examples demonstrates that His presence always has a purpose.

When His presence manifests, our awareness of Him is awakened, and something usually shifts. Burdens are lightened. Hearts are strengthened. Spirits are lifted. Anxious thoughts are calmed. When an aspect of God’s character is experienced, we are different for it. Sometimes it’s in very small ways on very ordinary days, maybe while we’re driving our car having an honest conversation with God, or opening the Word, or taking a walk in His creation. And sometimes His manifest presence is felt in monumental ways, ways you won’t ever forget.

But we can’t ignore an important truth about His manifest presence, which is that sin impedes our experience of it. We witness this in the beginning of time through Adam and Eve. Because of their sin, their eyes were opened to their nakedness, and their ability to freely enjoy God’s presence was hindered. But what does God do then? Does He abandon them? I can’t imagine we’d blame Him if He did. But instead, He pursues them. He covers their nakedness with garments, just as He covers us with Christ’s righteousness. God desires relationship that much. Yet still, communion with God is now broken. But this isn’t the end of the story.

Through Christ, God entered into the story. God, in Christ, took on flesh. Christ lived in perfect obedience, then died for our disobedience so that we might once again draw near to His relational presence!

When He feels distant, I assess where sin might be hindering His manifest presence. I have to take an honest look at whether I am living in disagreement with the Spirit, or intentionally pursuing sin, or stubbornly holding onto something God is asking me to surrender to Him or repent of, causing me to forfeit experiencing Him intimately.

Is He still with us when we sin? Of course. We are sealed with the Spirit and can be confident He will not abandon us (see Ephesians 1:13-14). But we will not experience the fullness of God’s presence when we are pursuing sin instead of Him.

The question we each need to answer is, “Will I resist His ways and impede intimacy, or invite Him to have His way so I can enjoy His presence?”

Reflection:

Read the following verses and look for further evidence of God’s manifest presence throughout Scripture.

• Exodus 3
• Daniel 3:24-25
• John 1:14