"God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble"
Psalm 46: 1
Comfort by Special Divine Presence
God's presence with a believer is a source of comfort, strength, and consolation. In this chapter we will look at the fourth way God comforts his people, which is by giving the downcast an inner sense of God's loving presence through his Spirit bearing witness with their spirits, often whispering peace in his "still small voice" (I Kings 19: 12) as the song we cited in the previous chapter stated, titled "He Whispers Sweet Peace To Me." Number four in the list is similar to number three, showing how God works on the internal feelings in giving comfort. So thought the Psalmist David who said:
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (Psa. 23: 4 kjv)
The above text in Exodus 33: 14 also indicates that God's presence with his people is a source of comfort or rest. In that oracle the Hebrew term for "presence" is panim and is a plural noun meaning "faces" or "presences," and so means "my presences they shall go." It is a text that bewilders many bible teachers but should not, no more than God's name "Elohim" being in the plural and why Elohim in the creation says "let us make man in our image, after our likeness." I firmly believe that this is because God is three persons though he is one God in essence or substance or nature. God is revealed as Father, Son or Word, and Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches a Trinity of the Unity and a Unity of the Trinity. When a person believes in Christ, all three divine persons enter into him or her and dwell there. So Jesus said:
"Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (John 14: 23 nkjv)
Many verses also speak of the Holy Spirit dwelling in believers. (See Rom. 8: 9; I Cor. 6: 19) So, by God saying "my presences will go with you" he means the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, each being a face of God.
Yet, to the unsaved, God's presence can be a source of irritation, fear, and grief. In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve enjoyed God's presence as much as the angels of heaven. Yet, when they rebelled against God by their transgression, we find it recorded how they fled from that same presence.
"And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden." (Gen. 3: 8 nkjv)
Once they walked with God, enjoying his immediate presence, but when they sinned they fled from the presence of the Lord. When Christ enters into a believer, his presence becomes a source of great joy and comfort. Believers often "sense" God's presence in a special way, especially when they are praying in the Spirit, or when praising the Lord in Spirit and with jubilant joy and delight, or when in deep meditation and musings upon the word and works of God, or when preaching the gospel to the lost or sharing God's word with other believers. After all Jesus said "where two or three are gathered together in my name there I am in the midst of them." (Matt. 18: 20) "There I am" speaks of his presence. He also told the first missionaries that he would go with them, even to the end of the age. (Matt. 28: 20)
It is difficult to define "presence," much like other words, such as life, death, gravity, etc. What does it mean to be in the presence of another? What does it mean to be in the presence of God? Bible teachers recognize the complexity of defining God's presence, such as when it is said that God is omnipresent, or everywhere present, and yet where it says that God only dwells in believers. There is a general presence and a special presence. Some scholars speak of God's "mystical" presence because of how inexplicable is God's presence. In the text in the heading God tells Moses that his presence(s) will go with him which seems odd if God is already everywhere. Clearly the reference is to God's special presence. Who can doubt that God's presence in heaven is different in some ways than his presence on earth?
There is an old Christian hymn that describes how the believer in Jesus experiences the loving presence of Christ, the title and words of that spiritual song are as follows:
How Tedious and Tasteless The Hours
1 How tedious and tasteless the hours
When Jesus no longer I see!
Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers,
Have all lost their sweetness to me;
The midsummer sun shines but dim,
The fields strive in vain to look gay;
But when I am happy in Him,
December's as pleasant as May.
2 His name yields the richest perfume,
And sweeter than music His voice;
His presence disperses my gloom,
And makes all within me rejoice;
I should, were He always thus nigh,
Have nothing to wish or to fear;
No mortal so happy as I,
My summer would last all the year.
3 Content with beholding His face,
My all to His pleasure resigned,
No changes of seasons or place
Would make any change in my mind:
While blest with a sense of His love,
A palace a toy would appear;
And prisons would palaces prove,
If Jesus would dwell with me there.
4 Dear Lord, if indeed I am Thine,
If Thou art my sun and my song,
Say, why do I languish and pine,
And why are my winters so long?
O drive these dark clouds from my sky,
Thy soul-cheering presence restore;
Or take me to Thee upon high,
The Psalmist said: "In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psa. 16: 11 nkjv) That is certainly true in heaven, but to a lesser degree it is true in the life of the believer, when in prayer, praise, or meditation, he is in a "heavenly place." God's presence ought to be coveted above all things. When I pray I begin with thanking God for all things and the highest blessing I give him thanks for is his indwelling presence. There is no greater blessing than to have God making our hearts his home or temple. So Moses wrote in his exhortation and encouragement to the chosen people of God:
“For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?" (Deut. 4: 7 nkjv)
Further, it is a wonderful thing to have God's promise to draw near to us when we draw near to him in faith and repentance. Wrote James: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (James 4:8).
The believer can be assured that "The Lord is near" (Phil. 4:5). That "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psa. 34: 18 mkjv)
God himself says:
"For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isa. 57: 15 nkjv)
Thank God for the comfort that comes from his presence with us!
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