God Desires to Be Present in Your Life

Do you know how much God loves you? He loves you so much that he wants to be present in your life all the time.

When I wake up each morning, my first thought is of God being with me. I know he has been patiently waiting for me to stir and greet him. As I go through my day, I am constantly aware that he is present. At any moment, I can share something funny with him, seek his guidance, or tell him how wonderful he is. I never have to go looking for him or wait for him to wander by on his rounds.

God has always wanted to dwell with his people. When he created Adam and Eve, he didn’t just plop them down in the garden and take off on a vacation from all his creating. He walked with them in the garden. He was so present that the shame from their sin caused them to try to hide from him (Genesis 3:8).

Their son Cain must have also dwelled in God’s presence. After he murdered his brother, Abel, he lamented to God, “¹³My punishment is more than I can bear ¹⁴…I will be hidden from your presence…” (Genesis 4:13-14).

When God delivered his people, the Israelites, from slavery, he himself brought them “out of Egypt by his Presence” (Deuteronomy 4:37) and he never left them. “²¹By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²²Neither…left its place in front of the people” (Exodus 13:21-22).

On Mount Sinai, the Lord gave Moses instructions for building a tabernacle (Exodus 25:9), also called the Tent of Meeting. The Hebrew word for tabernacle means “to dwell.” God said to “make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8).

Near the end of his instructions, the Lord said, “⁴⁴So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting… ⁴⁵Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. ⁴⁶They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them” (Exodus 29:44-46).

The tabernacle was always to be set up in the center of the camp, symbolizing God dwelling in their midst. He designed it to be portable because of his desire to travel with his people.

Much later David, as king of Israel, wanted to build a permanent dwelling for the Lord. The Lord told him his son Solomon, who would be king after him, would be “the one who will build a house for my Name” (2 Samuel 7:13). The place for his Name meant the place he would dwell (Deuteronomy 12:5), and Jerusalem was the place he chose to put his Name.

When Solomon finished building the temple, “the Lord said to him: ‘…I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there’” (1 Kings 9:3).

Moving further into history, we find a new dwelling place for God. When Jesus came to earth to redeem mankind from our sins and provide the bridge to a relationship with God, he began taking up residence in the physical bodies of those who believe in him and call him Lord. God had even used a special name for Jesus in a prophecy through Isaiah: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Greek word for temple means “sacred abode, the place of divine manifestation” (HELPS Word-studies). God can’t get any more present than abiding within us.

David understood the constant presence of God. He wrote,

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
          Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
          if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
          if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
          your right hand will hold me fast.”
                                                 ~Psalm 139:7-10

Not only is God everywhere we go – “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord (Jeremiah 23:24) – but he goes with us because he dwells within us.

God’s presence is never intrusive, though. It’s like living in a bubble of pure love because he always wants our well-being. It has no downside. Here are some of the ways God’s presence expresses his love for us:

God’s presence gives us joy – not just a trickle but as much as we can hold. “You will fill me with joy in your presence” (Psalm 16:11).

In God’s presence we have a refreshing of our spirit when we turn from our own ways to walk with him. “Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19, NASB).

In God’s presence we have confidence of our relationship with him and boldness to speak our heart to him. “We have confidence in the presence of God” (1 John 3:21, NET Bible).

God’s presence provides shelter when we get stuck in a hard place. The shelter is not a place to hide out, though; it is so much better than that. Wiersbe says God shelters us in order to strengthen us to return to life’s duties and dangers (The Bible  Exposition Commentary, Wisdom and Poetry, p.182). “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

God’s presence eliminates anxiety because we can take all of our concerns to Jesus at any time. “Do not be over-anxious about anything, but by prayer and earnest pleading, together with thanksgiving, let your request be unreservedly made known in the presence of God” (Philippians 4:6, Weymouth New Testament).

God’s presence gives us constant access to his wisdom, which gives us life and favor from the Lord (Proverbs 8:35). “I [wisdom] was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence” (Proverbs 8:30).

Because God is always present, we need never be fearful or discouraged, no matter how uncertain or dangerous a situation is. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

All through history, God has made provision to be present in the lives of his people. It is his desire to walk with you every day, sharing every moment with you and guiding you into your best life, which is life with him.

That’s how much God loves you!

Scripture quotations are from NIV unless otherwise noted.