Experiencing God's Presence #276

Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Psalm 51:11

David wrote the famous words of Psalm 139: “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” (v. 7); “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book” (v. 16); “When I wake up, you are still with me!” (v. 18). In other words, God is always with us, always aware of our every thought, always by our side.

This is the same David who, having sinned and been disciplined, pleaded with God not to banish him from the Presence. He begs for the Holy Spirit not to be taken from him. That’s because David knows the difference between God’s omnipresence and His relational Presence. He knows his sin has cost him some degree of intimacy with God, and he wants that intimacy back. The comfort and peace he once felt with God’s Spirit are gone.

We live in a different age and know that being born of the Spirit makes for a different relationship—a relationship in which we are united with Him. He doesn’t leave us. Still, the experience is similar. It’s possible for us to lose intimacy with Him and to feel distant through our own neglect, indifference, and sin. We may not be banished from His Presence, as David feared, but we can certainly feel alienated. We sense a breach when things aren’t right.

Our own sin adds an unwanted dynamic to our relationship with God. We know He always accepts us when we turn to Him, but we remain unsettled about the possibility of discipline and correction. It’s easy then to slip into performance mode, trying to make things right by our behavior. And it never works. When necessary, repent and trust that His Presence is still with you. Rest in His mercy and enjoy His peace.

Holy Spirit, remind me of Your Presence, even when I sin. Restore me to deeper intimacy with You than ever before.

From the book