Made for His Presence
We were created in the image of God. God’s original intent was for us to walk in close relationship with Him. To live in His presence as a normal function of our lives.
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 NKJV
Adam and Eve walked with God in the cool of the day. They lived in close relationship with God and His presence. Can you recall when you first became aware of God’s presence? Even the unsaved can have experiences with the presence of God.
When I was a young boy, in second grade, about 8 years of age, I became acutely aware of the Presence of God. My younger brother and I were walking in our yard in Ohio, and I just knew God was with us. I said to him, “Can you sense God here?!” His response, “No?” But for me, that was the beginning of a lifetime journey to know God and abide in His presence.
The Lord desires for us to commune with Him by waiting in His presence.
It’s in God’s presence that fullness of joy is discovered. It’s in His presence that His power is imparted. To prevail in spiritual power, a lifetime of intimacy with God is required.
In James 4:8, God invites us to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
We are instructed in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still and know that I am God.”
The phrase “be still” literally means to cease from striving. It means to let go and relax, to tune out the distractions of the world and listen to the quiet whisper of God. It is getting still and coming into a place of rest. It means resting in His Presence. The result is that you will know He is God; you will know He is near.
The word “know” in Psalm 46:10 is from the Hebrew yada and means an experiential knowledge of God. It’s not being still and knowing about God. It’s being still and knowing God experientially.
Bible reading and prayer are not enough. We must take time alone with Him, not asking for anything but more of Him, more of His fullness and more of His presence, in our everyday lives. God releases power through us as we dwell in intimacy with Him.
The natural outworking of His Presence is becoming more like Jesus. We begin walking in both the fruit and gifts of the Spirit, and more of a supernatural lifestyle—including seeing more miracles.
As people have spent time in God’s presence, many have experienced inner healings, physical healings,relational restoration, fear dispelled, depression leaving, and transformed lives.
There are many different forms of prayer, but waiting prayer has more to do with receiving from Father God as opposed to petitioning or intercession. It involves two-way dialogue with the Lord, not just one-way prayers asking of God. In waiting prayer, we allow God to speak and reveal to us, as well as refresh, strengthen, and encourage us.
Jesus is our Example.
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35
“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12
All night in prayer, Jesus was in two-way communication with the Father. In the morning, up before daylight, Jesus prayed in a solitary place. Jesus needed refreshed after pouring out. Prayer isn’t just petition, but seeking the Father’s presence, hearing His heart, and receiving from Him.
If Jesus needed refreshed and poured into by the Father, what about you and me?
We were created human “beings” not human “doings.” We can get so busy, that we lose the edge in life and ministry because we’re not spending quality time with God.
What does it mean to wait on the Lord in His presence?
To wait in God’s presence is to REST in His love rather than to STRIVE in prayer. Again, we need to pray petitionary prayers—so don’t stop that form of prayer, but add waiting prayer!
As a person rests expectantly in God’s presence (perhaps on the floor or in a comfortable chair), the Holy Spirit often hovers over the person to reveal more of God’s love and to renew and repair areas of a person’s life.
As the Lord takes control, He begins to draw the person to God’s word either in scripture, internal audible impressions, or pictures in their mind’s eye.
For example, in Acts 10:1-8, 9-16 we see how a devout, righteous, and generous Roman Cornelius, who did not know Jesus as savior, had a visionary encounter with the Lord as he waited on God in prayer. Next, God gave the apostle Peter a vision and trance. The Lord spoke to him to go with the men Cornelius sent to minister to them the gospel. Result: Cornelius and his gentile household were saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Baptized or immersed in the Spirit
Acts 1:5, 8 “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now… But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The word baptize comes from bapto (báptō, “to dip in or under,” “to dye,” “to immerse,” “to sink,” “to drown,” “to bathe,” “wash.” [1]) and from baptízō (to baptize, immerse).
This word is found in ancient Greek recipes for pickles. Cucumbers were to be immersed, using the word baptizdo, and soaked in the brine and pickling solution for several weeks. What happens during this waiting or “soaking” time is that the marinade or pickling solution soaks deep into the flesh of the cucumber until it takes on the flavor of the pickling solution—no longer tastes like a raw cucumber.
This is what happens when we wait in the Lord’s presence! To be so marinated in the presence of the Holy Spirit that we no longer taste like our old raw nature, but the flavor of Jesus Himself! When we start to see our raw nature coming through—it’s a clue to us that we need to soak more!
Why do I need to wait in God’s presence?
First, each of us has a deep need to be close and intimate with God.
We were created to experience God, not just gain knowledge of Him. The Bible is a book of experiences of men and women of God, whose lives were changed through divine encounters.
Our theology is based on God’s word, but our experiences with Him make His word come alive. For example, Abraham had a new understanding of God as Provider (Jehovah Jirah) after offering Isaac up.
Second, we need to be “re-filled” by His presence!
After a time of persecution, the apostles and disciples gather to pray to be empowered once again.
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:31 NKJV
They prayed, shaken by God’s presence, filled with the Spirit again, and went out in boldness. The word ‘filled’ used here is from the Greek Pímplēmi, which means to cause something to be completely full— ‘to fill completely, to fill up.’ In Matt. 27:48 the same word is used: ‘Taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine’. [2]
Third, Healing of Life’s Hurts and Disappointments
Like an onion that is peeled layer by layer, so anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, fear, and other inner healing issues are often removed layer by layer as we continue to rest in His presence.
Many go through a season where all they do is weep as they come into His presence—often this weeping is an outward sign of healing.
Lastly, It’s Biblical!
See Psalm 23:1-3, Psalm 4:4, Psalm 37:7, Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:29-31; Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4:9-11
How Do I Wait in the Lord’s Presence?
First, Get in a comfortable, quiet place.
Perhaps lie down or sit. The main thing is to be in a safe, quiet place where you can focus on the Lord and receive from Him. I also like walking in nature; God often speaks and reveals things to me there. Wherever it is, it is important to find your place to get alone with the Lord.
Second, begin to set your affection on Jesus.
You may want intimate worship music playing that will help quiet your soul, focus on the Lord, and draw near to God.
Third, begin to worship Him.
Tell Him how Holy and lovely He is, how much you love Him. I often use part of the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father, in Heaven, Holy is your Name…”
Worship the Lord in both native language (English) and in your prayer language of the Holy Spirit.
Invite His presence and kingdom to come. Welcome the Holy Spirit. Humble yourself before Him.
Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart, confess any revealed sin or wrong attitude, and receive His forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)
Do Romans 6:13, “…present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Fourth, after a few moments, you will become aware of the Holy Spirit’s unseen presence.
You may feel a weight upon your body, tingling of your hands or face, or a warm sensation of love going through your heart. May begin to cry or become emotional as the Lord comes. Joy may begin to well up within you.
I tell the Lord: “God, I want more of You, more of Your Presence. Fill me with more of You.” I may repeat this many times as I wait on the Lord and focus on Him.
Begin to recall experiences with the Lord (i.e., visions, words, healings, miracles, provision) where He has manifested Himself in wonderful ways. This creates more of an expectancy and awareness of His Presence as you relive these times. Stay quiet and wait on Him. You should begin to hear His voice. Many times, I begin to have visions and supernatural experiences.
Fifth, continue to focus on Him, receive what He may be giving you, invite Him to reveal and impart to you what He desires.
You can trust Him! (Luke 11:11-13) The Father desires to give us good gifts!
The key is intimacy. This is not a program to be managed, but a relationship to be maintained.
Don’t be in a hurry, 15 to 30 minutes to unwind, not trying to get from God – but to BE WITH HIM!
During our times of waiting in the Lord’s presence, we position ourselves to receive impressions, nudges, quiet whispers, pictures, angelic visitations, and supernatural revelations. Here is a partial list of what to expect:
Dreams (Job 33:14-16, Gen. 28:10-16); Visions (Dan 7:1-3,9, Acts 16:9-10); Trances (Acts 10:9-17, 11:5); Out of body experiences (2 Cor. 12:2-4); Angelic visitations (Luke 1:57,11-17, Acts 12:7-10); Being transported in the Spirit (Acts 8:39-40)
Experiencing the true intimate Presence of the living God will radically change your life. People describe His manifest Presence in different ways. To some, it is heat, electricity, or shaking. To others, it is lightness, peace, or weeping.
Experiencing the manifest presence is not the goal but the gateway to the supernatural realm. It’s the beginning. We go into the Spirit realm where we can see Him, hear His voice, walk with Him, and be empowered by Him.
Isaiah 64:4 says God “acts for the one who waits for Him.” The Amplified version states, “God…who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who earnestly waits for Him.” He’s waiting on us to wait on Him.
The Cumulative Effect
Sometimes we may feel our time waiting on the Lord has been unproductive. We ask, “Is it worth it?” because we see no immediate change or benefit. I realized some time ago that there is a cumulative effect that takes place when I spend time in the manifest Presence of the Lord.
From this cumulative effect, God is making a deposit into my inner most being. As I begin to give out, that anointing flows out of the deposit He had been making all along.
We must learn to come quietly into His Presence allowing Him to occupy more of our lives. We need to wait in His Presence, extracting more of His fullness into those places where we are barren. The cumulative effect of spending time with the Lord will produce an increased anointing in your life. The release of that anointing will serve as a springboard to a life of miracles.
The apostle John offers believers a mind-boggling statement in 1 John 4:17 “…because as He is, so are we in this world.”
The implication of this verse is clear: believers should be like Him. That is next to impossible without spending quality time in His manifest Presence. We will never even understand His compassionate nature for a lost and wounded humanity without regular, daily times with Him.
Intimacy with God is the simple means by which we access living in the miraculous. Spending time in His manifest Presence is the discipline we must develop to access all that God has for us. And the cumulative effect is what happens in our anointing (or gifting) to function in healing or any of the supernatural.
[1] Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 92 (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1995).
[2] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, vol. 1, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., 597 (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996).
