The presence of God (Psalm 46)

If we were to ask, who is here?, we could list the names of those people we can see, if we know who they are. Otherwise we could describe them in some way or another. More importantly, God is here. If we were to ask, who is two streets away, we might suggest some names, but we know that they would not be the same people as are here. But God would be there as well as here. If we were to ask, who is everywhere, the only answer is God.

If we were to ask, who is here and why, we would need to ask questions to find out. In order to get the answers from those we can see, it is easy to do so. But we cannot know all the reasons why God is here today. His Word tells us some general reasons, but he also has specific reasons. The why of God’s presence in one place is beyond us, so what can we say about his presence everywhere? But his presence is never haphazard or meaningless.

It is obvious that the author of Psalm 46 valued the presence of God. Three time he says that the Lord of hosts was his people through the various events that they faced. We can say the same. So what do we mean when we speak of God's presence?

There is nowhere where God is not fully present. This goes for anywhere. God is fully present at this moment on Mars and Jupiter, on the Atlantic or the Pacific, in the palaces of royalty, in luxury homes of presidents, in the tents of tourists, in the homes of people. He was and is in every house in your street. He has been with each of us all day. He was there when we woke up; when you went to the kitchen, he was there; when you went to put on your tie, he was there; when you drove your car, he was there; when you saw someone else in their car, he was there; he did not jump between your car and the other one; and he is still in your car, as well as everywhere else. If someone chooses to steal your car because you have not locked it, he will be there as it is stolen, and as it is driven away. In fact, he is in every car in the world at this moment, and he is also everywhere else.

What does it means to say that God is here today? It is an important question. He is not here in the fullness of his wrath as he will be on the day of judgement for many of those gathered before him; he is not here in the way he was present at Mount Sinai when he gave his law to the children of Israel; he is not here in the manner he was present when he appeared to Abraham and gave him promises about his children; he does not come to us in the way that he did in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve. Those few examples remind us that God reveals his presence in different ways and degrees. We can call them special presences of God as distinct from or as part of his omnipresence, and we can think about some of them shortly.

In what way is God present? God is everywhere as the Trinity, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are never separate, so where one is the three are. But saying that about the Trinity is a reminder that the presence of God to us is in some way different from the way that those who did not know about the Trinity recognised his presence in the past. Our knowledge of him gives us greater insight into his presence, even although it is the same God who is present.

The presence of God in Eden

At the beginning, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit created this world as well as the rest of space. They worked in harmony – the Father created through the Son by the Spirit. The work described on each day of the creation week was done by the Trinity, and at the end of each day, as they looked at what had appeared through their wisdom and power, they together said that it was good. Whatever else we can say about the presence of God on days 1 to 5, it was a happy presence.

On day 6, we are taken, as it were, into their preparation for and participation in the creation of Adam and Eve. God as the Trinity said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God spoke about the creation of man, and brought about the creation of man. On day 6, God said all was very good. The presence of God in the Garden must have been astonishing for Adam and Eve. They were made to be like God in the presence of God. And clearly God was pleased to be present with them, to interact with them, to guide them, and to warn them of the consequences of disobedience to his revealed will. We cannot have that special presence of God anymore that Adam and Eve had.

The presence of God after the Fall

We move on a short time, to the sad situation after Adam and Eve fell. How long it took for that to happen we cannot say. After it occurred, God knew that they had fallen into sin, but something had happened as far as his presence with them was concerned. That his obvious from his question, ‘Adam, where are you?’ This is not a question indicating ignorance on his part, rather it points to a sense of their absence and dislocation. Adam no longer was in the presence of God as his friend. Can two walk together unless they be agreed? That was the case in Eden after the fall. Yet we see from the subsequent dialogue that God wanted to resume a sense of special presence with them, even although it could not be the same presence as they once had before they sinned. Instead they were to worship him as sinners.

We are fortunate that we live when we do and that for many reasons. One detail is that we can look back and see what God was doing during the Old Testament period and subsequent. We can read about the covenants he made with people, the buildings he authorised, and the prophecies he announced, especially those of the Messiah. If we were to suggest a theme that would cover them all, what would it be? A valid one is preparation for living with God. While there is much more to his actions, it is the case that God was highlighting his intention for men and women to be in his presence in a special manner.

The presence of God in Jesus

One of the names of Jesus is Immanuel, which means God with us. In order to bring about this presence, God the Son had to become a man, which he did without ceasing to be God. So when people saw Jesus, they saw God, although they did not always see his deity because it was veiled. Still, the one who remained omnipresent also became locally present, we could say, confined to a space in a particular location at a given time. What people saw was authentic because, as Jesus stated, those who saw him saw the Father. It was not only a perfect man that they saw, but more than a man. The life of Jesus shows us where God likes to be and what he likes to do. He took steps to make it possible for him to spend time with sinners. The Pharisees could not understand a God marked by such grace. So they shunned his presence. But others were drawn to be with Jesus and realised with Peter that he was the Son of God, and that they could be in his presence in a special way.

Yet a great price had to be paid for this divine intention to be achieved. The place where the payment was made was at the cross. The Trinity was at Calvary because there the Son through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God. We see aspects of the cost in that the Son lost the sense of the presence of his Father. Jesus did not stress the absence of God, because he addressed him as being there when he cried, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ God does not have to be absent in order for his presence to be hidden.

Calvary also gives us insight into the desire of God for restored presence with his people. All we need to do is look at what happened with the penitent criminal. He was heading away from God as far as those looking on were concerned. Yet amazingly he realised that the One beside him on the Cross could take him into the presence of God. And he heard words that assured him that he would be there later that day, in Paradise, with Jesus.

The presence of God in and with his people

We can walk round St Paul’s Cathedral and St. Giles Cathedral and be very impressed with what we see. Perhaps we might even say, What a church! There probably are other equally impressive buildings that are not churches. So even when we say such things about places of Christian worship we are aware that the building in which we are in is not the best building. Rather, the question for us should be, where is God revealing his presence? Of course, God by his omnipresence is in all buildings, even when they are empty of humans. 

There is a church in which God dwells, and in which he wants to dwell forever. The Bible mentions how the Holy Spirit indwells all his people. On one occasion, Jesus told his listeners that he and the Father wanted to come and make their home with those who serve them. This special presence occurs when they are in a church building and when they are not in a church building. And the Trinity are with the people of God in order to have communion with them. This contact is personal, precious and profitable because they discover the reason for their existence, which is to get to know God.

The presence of God at death

It is good to have God with us in life and to enjoy his special presence in various ways. Yet there is one time in life when we want his presence in a special way and that will be when we are leaving this world. When we face the last enemy, we will need the presence of its conqueror. And as Paul reminded the Philippians, at death believers are absent from the body and present with the Lord. Then they will be with him in the Father’s house.

The presence of God in eternity

There is yet to come a day when God will be present with his people in the eternal state. The closing chapters of the Bible describe how the dwelling place of God will be with his people. He and they will share the glory that is ahead forever. The prayer of Jesus for his people to be with him so that they will behold his glory will be answered. They will be like him because, as the apostle John says, they will see him as he is. Glorified, they will be fit companions for Jesus through the eternal ages. God will have achieved his purpose of grace which was to bring many sons to glory

The presence of God and the unbeliever

Since God is everywhere, it means that he was everywhere you went to yesterday. You did not do anything at a distance from God. He knows all that you said and did, and he does not know them from a distance. His presence is not merely observation. He gave to you natural gifts to use yesterday. It was his presence that enabled you to speak rationally to whoever you spoke with. God was with you even although you did not know it.

Earlier we thought about the special presence of God in the new heavens and new earth with his people. They will see his glory and experience the blessings of his love. There is also a special presence of God in hell. It will not be a pleasant presence for those who are aware of it, because it will be the awareness of his presence there to punish those who deserve it? 

What can we say in conclusion? Clearly, our priority in life should be to recognise and rejoice in the presence of God. Moreover, we can see that for God's people, their sense of the divine presence will increase as they find themselves with him in this life and in the next.