Sensing God’s Presence

“Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him. But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth  More than my necessary food.” – Job 23:8-12

There was another contrast in the Book of Job that I wanted to share.  Job said that although he could not see God or perhaps sense His presence, Job remained faithful. He treasured the Words of God more than life-sustaining food – so you might say more than life itself. His words, in contrast, reminded me of David and Psalm 139.

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.” – Psalm 139:7-12

Do you see the contrast between the two men.  Isn’t it interesting?  David struggled with sin but was known as a “man after God’s own heart.” There were times that he acted as if God was not there. And then times when he was very aware of the holiness of God and David’s own propensity to sin.  (Psalm 51) So what was it that enabled Job to be faithful to God even when he did not sense God’s presence and David’s awareness of God and yet that awareness did not seem to help him resist the temptation to sin? Is it possible that spiritual awareness is not the key to obedient, God honoring, living?

Who do you identify with, Job or David? Oh, for me, how I would like it to be Job, but, sadly, I fear it is David.  Sin is not a good thing, but in the Christian life it can bring a good result. What could that possibly be, you ask? I will tell you.  Sin in my life is a stark reminder of my need for a Redeemer. My flesh is incapable of producing holiness. I was born, naturally, with a flaw. My tendency to sin only proves that I am not worthy of salvation but still I am loved. God has restored me to Himself, not because of my goodness but because of Jesus sacrifice and His love for me.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” – Romans 6:1-3

We are given new life in Christ by the grace of God. My response to that grace should not be that I might sin all the more or see it as no big deal – but, that I would sin all the less as I yield my life to God all the more.  Like Job, that I would treasure “the words of His mouth  More than my necessary food.” Whether you sense the presence of God as you go about your life is not the point.  The point is, as David understood, there is no place we can go that God is not there. The world says “God is Nowhere” but the truth is “God is Now Here”

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!” – Psalm 119:103

Spiritual awareness is a reflection of the level of my intimacy with the Word of God.  It is not about memorizing scripture, although memorizing scripture clearly has its benefits, but reading scripture – desiring to hear God’s Word even above food. There are many verses that point to that truth. Psalm 119:11, Joshua 1:8, 2 Timothy 3:16 to list a few. (By the way, I have had many people tell me they just seem to memorize scripture. So I ask them for their telephone number or address, which they readily share. That only proves that they can remember what is important to them. Not memorizing scripture is a choice they have made.)