Grace Notes // His Presence - Week 1

Written by Keli Miller

His Presence // The Story of His Presence 

“More then just a mystical feeling or an emotional charge, the presence of God is the theme on which the story of Scripture hinges.” - Ryan Lister; ‘The Presence of God’

The story of our God is a story of pursuit. From the beginning of time as he hovered over the world’s dark vastness he sought to create a place of presence. We often think of the Garden of Eden as the ultimate representation of closeness with God, but Revelations 21 promises us something even greater, “Look, God’s dwelling is with them. They will be his people and God himself will be with them and will be their God.” 

I love that God uses the bride and bridegroom to describe his relationship with humanity. That kind of love and desire is so easy for us to relate to. An engaged couple is not merely content with physical proximity. We desire presence more than just physical closeness from those we are in relationship with. The whole Bible is a story of God’s relentless pursuit to share his presence with us, and even more our presence with him. 

From the Garden, to Mt. Sinai, to The Tabernacle and then the Temple, God was meeting with priests. However, his desire was for more than just the most righteous ones. In Exodus, he had called the Isralites “a Kingdom of Priests” but they settled to become a Kingdom with some priests. Even then during the years where God’s presence resided in the Temple, he was speaking to prophets about a new and better way to come. The prophet Joel speaks of God “pouring out” his spirit and all. 

God was always longing to share himself with us, and he still is today. The Good news of today is that we are living in the time that Joel spoke about. Since Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has now been given to us and we as followers of Christ carry God’s spirit in us. What was once kept behind a curtain, reserved for the few, has now been poured out and given to each of us.

As we kick off this series focusing on God’s presence, we have to first understand his pursuit. This is the story of the Gospel, the posture of our God, a Holy God coming down, pursuing creation and longing to share His Presence with them. This is the Good news. 

In the Word: 

Ephesians 2:11-22

Processing:

-How have you experienced God’s pursuit of you? 

-What are some times when you’ve been sure of God’s presence? Times where you’ve doubted?