The Presence of God
By: Christy Ash
How important is the presence of God in our lives?
There is a little-known story in the life of David that illustrates the power of the presence of God. When David was running from King Saul, who was a friend turned foe, he came to the Lord’s prophets desperate for help. They did not fight or draw swords to protect him. They worshipped and prophesied and simply called down the presence of God.
When Saul and his armies arrived on the scene ready for a battle, they were instead swept up by the Spirit of God and began to join in and prophesied as well! That was not the encounter he or anyone else expected! When Saul woke up after that experience, David was gone – but the Spirit of God was gone as well.
The Spirit had left Saul because he had rejected God. He had chosen to fear people and do what they wanted instead of listening to God’s Word and direction. His insecurities cost him his friendship with David, his crown and ultimately his relationship with God. Now, he found himself once again alone, left to his own thoughts and demise.
So I have to ask myself when I am at a weekend service at our church or a space where the presence of God feels palpable and intimate: is it because I’m receiving the benefit of someone else’s faith or am I too operating in the power and presence of Christ in me? Do I have a relationship with God when I’m alone or do I only seek to draw near to Him in a room of believers jointly worshipping?
In the Old Testament the Spirit was only available to or through certain people or events. When David was young and was first called to play the harp for King Saul beginning their friendship, his resume went something like this, “He plays skillfully and is a brave warrior, but the Spirit of the Lord is with him.” We can have the most impressive resumes in life, but only the presence of God will make the difference.
He is with us always. We only have to heed His call to us in
James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…”
The Holy Spirit is inhabiting every believer and His presence changes everything! No matter your circumstance today you can invite the presence of the living God to consume you. You don’t have to have a fancy resume, just a desire to know Jesus. He is inviting you today to draw near to Him.