Understanding The Presence of God
There’s a revived interest in faith that longs to understand the presence of God. What is the presence of God? How can we know it?
The most common Hebrew term for presence is translated as face. To know someone’s face implies a close and personal encounter with them. When God reveals His presence to you, you’ll know it and feel it. This sense of God’s presence is called transcendence. It means an experience beyond normal or physical encounters. It feels light, full of hope, joy, and peace.
In scripture God often used places or objects to reveal His presence. He used clouds, fire, water, and upper room gatherings to speak to people, to reveal Himself and share His plans. In this episode we’re looking at how God used CLOUDS to reveal His presence.
We’ll be looking at clouds through four lenses:
• The cloud of MANIFESTATION
• The cloud of EXPECTATION
• The cloud of CONFIRMATION
• The Cloud of EXALTATION
In Exodus 13:21-22 and 14:19-20, we see God use a huge, pillar-like cloud to lead the Israelites through the desert. This cloud gave them a visual reminder (a manifestation) that He was traveling before them, leading through the unknown new territory that often scared them. When their enemies, the Egyptians, came to try to take them back to slavery, God moved the cloud of His presence behind them to keep the enemy away.
Presence Principal #1: The Lord will lead you from the front and protect your back from the rear. He will not remove His presence. He’s a leader and a protector. God might MOVE from one position to another in your life. It doesn’t mean He’s not present.
The cloud of EXPECTATION can be found in 1 Kings 18:41-46. The prophet Elijah had slain the false prophets of Baal before the King of Israel, King Ahab. Afterwards, Elijah told the King to get ready for a rainstorm, when there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Elijah got on the ground in a humble posture and sent his servant to look for the clouds, and on the seventh time, a small cloud could be seen in the sky. Elijah prayed and believed, with expectation, that the rain would come…and it did!
Presence Principle #2: When we show gutsy faith, God’s presence overshadows current reality to create a new realm of possibility. His presence is invited by faith.
The cloud of CONFIRMATION is seen in Mark 9:2-8 when Jesus is transfigured on a mountain, and the disciples find him talking to Moses and Elijah. Peter’s initial response is to build a tabernacle for the three of them. This desire came from the Hebrew tradition explained in Leviticus 23:40, where this type of tent represented the protection and presence of God. But God didn’t want a tent, He wanted their attention as He spoke through a cloud, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.”
Presence Principle #3: To experience God’s presence, we can’t substitute man-made experiences or religious activity for authentic presence. God’s true presence can’t be manipulated or contained.
The final cloud is the cloud of EXALTATION. To exalt means to lift high with honor. In Acts 1:8-11 and Revelation 1:7-8 we see two scenes. We see the moment Jesus was lifted into the clouds and ascended into heaven, and we see the explanation of when He will come again.
Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So, it is to be. Amen.”
Jesus is coming back to the earth in the clouds, and every person on earth will know that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Glory be to God, forever and ever, amen!
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