Seeking the Presence of God
In seeking the presence of God, we should use the Bible as our source, to teach
us how. Looking at Psalms 95:1-3 it says “O come, let us sing to the Lord
Yahweh; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come
before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise to Him with
psalms. For the Lord Yahweh is a great God, and a great King above all gods”.
Looking at Psalms 100:1-5 it says “make a joyful noise to the Lord Yahweh all you
lands. Serve the Lord Yahweh with gladness; come before His presence with
singing. Know you that the Lord Yahweh He is God; it is He that has made us, and
not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His
gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and
bless His name. For the Lord Yahweh is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His
truth endures to all generations”.
Psalms 16:11 tells us the benefits of being in His presence; it says “You will show
me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are
pleasures for evermore”.
God Himself invites us to seek Him; in Isaiah 51:1 He says “hearken to Me, you
that follow after righteousness; you that seek the Lord Yahweh; look to the rock
where you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from where you are dug”.
In Isaiah 55:1-7 He tells us that it will cost us nothing to seek Him; it says “Ho,
every one that thirsts, come you to the waters, and he that has no money; come
you, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for
that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat you that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear,
and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the
sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a
leader and commander to the people. Behold, you shall call a nation that you
know not, and nations that knew not you shall run to you because of the Lord
Yahweh your God and for the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you. Seek
you the Lord Yahweh wile He may be found, call you upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him
return to the Lord Yahweh, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for
He will abundantly pardon”.
In Jeremiah 29:11-14a God says “for I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the Lord Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected
end. Then shall you call upon Me and you shall go and pray to Me and I will
hearken to you. And you shall seek Me and find Me when you shall search for Me
with all your heart. And I will be found of you, says the Lord Yahweh”.
Moses as he was bringing the children of Israel out into the land, he sought God to
show him the way, and in Exodus 33:12-15 it says “and Moses said to the Lord
Yahweh, see, you say to me, bring up this people; and You have not let me know
whom You will send with me, Yet You have said, I know you by name and you have
also found grace in My sight. Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found grace in
Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You, that I may find grace in
Your sight; and consider that this nation is Your people. And He said, My
presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he said to Him, if Your
presence go not with me, carry us not up from here”.
David was known as a man after God’s heart, and after we read through these
psalms, we can see that he sort to stay in the presence of God. Psalms 9:9-10
says “ the Lord Yahweh also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times
of trouble. And they that know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord
Yahweh have not forsaken them that seek You”.
Psalms 27:4-8 says “one thing I desired of the Lord Yahweh, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord Yahweh all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of the Lord Yahweh and to enquire in His temple. For in the time of
trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret of His tabernacle shall He
hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall my head be lifted up
above my enemies round about me; therefore will I offer in His tabernacle
sacrifices of you; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises to the Lord Yahweh. Hear, O
Lord Yahweh, when I cry with my voice; have mercy also upon me, and answer
me. When You said, seek you My face, my heart said to You, Your face Lord
Yahweh, will I seek”.
Psalms 31:19-21 says “oh how great is Your goodness which You have laid up for
them that fear You; which You have wrought for them that trust in You before the
sons of men. You shall hide them in the secret of Your presence from the pride of
man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed
be the Lord Yahweh; for He has showed me His marvelous kindness in a strong
city”.
Psalms 63:1-4 says “O God, You are my God, early will I seek You; my soul thirsts
for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirst land, where no water is. To see
Your power and Your glory; so as I have seen You in the sanctuary. Because
Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus will I bless
You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name”.
Psalms 140:13 says “surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the
upright shall dwell in Your presence”.
Even after David sinned, he asked God not to take His presence from him (Psalms
51:9-12) “hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from
Your presence; and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of
Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free spirit”.
Jesus teaches us the best way to get into His presence (John 14
:15-23) “if you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father and
He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever. Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither
knows Him, but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not
leave you comfortless; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world sees Me
no more; but you see Me; because I live, you shall live also. At that day you shall
know that I am in My Father and you in Me, and I in you. He that has My
commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me; and he that loves Me shall
be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas
said to Him, not Iscariot, Lord how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and
not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, if a man love Me; he will keep
My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our
abode with him”.
The apostle Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and said in
Acts 2:28, “You have made known to me the ways of life; You shall make me full of
joy with Your countenance (presence). Then in Acts 3:19-20 he told them “repent
you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And He shall send
Jesus Christ, which before was preached to you”.
The apostle Paul tells them on Mars hill to seek the Lord (Acts 17:22-29) “then
Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, you men of Athens, I perceive that in
all things you are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your
devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, to the unknown God. Whom
therefore you ignorantly worship Him declare I to you. God that made the world
and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth dwells not in
temples made with hands. Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He
needed any thing, seeing He gives to all life, and breath and all things. And has
made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and
has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him,
though He be not far from every one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and
have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also His
offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think
that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s
device”.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: October 11, 2011
In seeking the presence of God, we should use the Bible as our source, to teach
us how. Looking at Psalms 95:1-3 it says “O come, let us sing to the Lord
Yahweh; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come
before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise to Him with
psalms. For the Lord Yahweh is a great God, and a great King above all gods”.
Looking at Psalms 100:1-5 it says “make a joyful noise to the Lord Yahweh all you
lands. Serve the Lord Yahweh with gladness; come before His presence with
singing. Know you that the Lord Yahweh He is God; it is He that has made us, and
not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His
gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and
bless His name. For the Lord Yahweh is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His
truth endures to all generations”.
Psalms 16:11 tells us the benefits of being in His presence; it says “You will show
me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand there are
pleasures for evermore”.
God Himself invites us to seek Him; in Isaiah 51:1 He says “hearken to Me, you
that follow after righteousness; you that seek the Lord Yahweh; look to the rock
where you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from where you are dug”.
In Isaiah 55:1-7 He tells us that it will cost us nothing to seek Him; it says “Ho,
every one that thirsts, come you to the waters, and he that has no money; come
you, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread? And your labor for
that which satisfies not? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat you that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear,
and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the
sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a
leader and commander to the people. Behold, you shall call a nation that you
know not, and nations that knew not you shall run to you because of the Lord
Yahweh your God and for the Holy One of Israel; for He has glorified you. Seek
you the Lord Yahweh wile He may be found, call you upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him
return to the Lord Yahweh, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for
He will abundantly pardon”.
In Jeremiah 29:11-14a God says “for I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
says the Lord Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected
end. Then shall you call upon Me and you shall go and pray to Me and I will
hearken to you. And you shall seek Me and find Me when you shall search for Me
with all your heart. And I will be found of you, says the Lord Yahweh”.
Moses as he was bringing the children of Israel out into the land, he sought God to
show him the way, and in Exodus 33:12-15 it says “and Moses said to the Lord
Yahweh, see, you say to me, bring up this people; and You have not let me know
whom You will send with me, Yet You have said, I know you by name and you have
also found grace in My sight. Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found grace in
Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You, that I may find grace in
Your sight; and consider that this nation is Your people. And He said, My
presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. And he said to Him, if Your
presence go not with me, carry us not up from here”.
David was known as a man after God’s heart, and after we read through these
psalms, we can see that he sort to stay in the presence of God. Psalms 9:9-10
says “ the Lord Yahweh also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times
of trouble. And they that know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord
Yahweh have not forsaken them that seek You”.
Psalms 27:4-8 says “one thing I desired of the Lord Yahweh, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord Yahweh all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of the Lord Yahweh and to enquire in His temple. For in the time of
trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret of His tabernacle shall He
hide me. He shall set me up upon a rock. And now shall my head be lifted up
above my enemies round about me; therefore will I offer in His tabernacle
sacrifices of you; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises to the Lord Yahweh. Hear, O
Lord Yahweh, when I cry with my voice; have mercy also upon me, and answer
me. When You said, seek you My face, my heart said to You, Your face Lord
Yahweh, will I seek”.
Psalms 31:19-21 says “oh how great is Your goodness which You have laid up for
them that fear You; which You have wrought for them that trust in You before the
sons of men. You shall hide them in the secret of Your presence from the pride of
man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Blessed
be the Lord Yahweh; for He has showed me His marvelous kindness in a strong
city”.
Psalms 63:1-4 says “O God, You are my God, early will I seek You; my soul thirsts
for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirst land, where no water is. To see
Your power and Your glory; so as I have seen You in the sanctuary. Because
Your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus will I bless
You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name”.
Psalms 140:13 says “surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the
upright shall dwell in Your presence”.
Even after David sinned, he asked God not to take His presence from him (Psalms
51:9-12) “hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me
a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from
Your presence; and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of
Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free spirit”.
Jesus teaches us the best way to get into His presence (John 14
:15-23) “if you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father and
He shall give you another Comforter that He may abide with you forever. Even the
Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither
knows Him, but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you. I will not
leave you comfortless; I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world sees Me
no more; but you see Me; because I live, you shall live also. At that day you shall
know that I am in My Father and you in Me, and I in you. He that has My
commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me; and he that loves Me shall
be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him. Judas
said to Him, not Iscariot, Lord how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and
not to the world? Jesus answered and said to him, if a man love Me; he will keep
My words; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our
abode with him”.
The apostle Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and said in
Acts 2:28, “You have made known to me the ways of life; You shall make me full of
joy with Your countenance (presence). Then in Acts 3:19-20 he told them “repent
you therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the
times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And He shall send
Jesus Christ, which before was preached to you”.
The apostle Paul tells them on Mars hill to seek the Lord (Acts 17:22-29) “then
Paul stood in the midst of Mars hill, and said, you men of Athens, I perceive that in
all things you are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your
devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, to the unknown God. Whom
therefore you ignorantly worship Him declare I to you. God that made the world
and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth dwells not in
temples made with hands. Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though He
needed any thing, seeing He gives to all life, and breath and all things. And has
made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and
has determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him,
though He be not far from every one of us. For in Him we live, and move, and
have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, for we are also His
offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think
that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s
device”.
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: October 11, 2011
