"The Presence of God!"

Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. Heb 9:3-4

My Professor, Dr. Dallas Willard, who was the former chairman of the department of Philosophy at USC, lost his mom when he was a young child. He tells the story of a little boy whose mom had passed on to heaven and was so lonely at night that he would not sleep unless he could sleep with his dad. When he lay in bed with his dad in the dark – he wanted to make sure that his dad’s face was towards him. So he would say, “Daddy is your face towards me?” To which his dad would say, “Yes son.” This would give him the comfort to sleep. In our lives we want to have the face of God towards us. Life is sometimes lonely and challenging. We need to know that our heavenly Father is close.

In my life if there is even a little distance between my heart and the heart of God – my spirit knows it. As a result I desperately want to grow closer to him.

The Old Testament set up a system of recognizing the presence of God. It was a tabernacle that they would set up showing the compartments of life in a nation’s relationship with God. This design was later used in the temple, but both illustrate how our lives can be full of the wonderful presence of God in a holistic way.

As Dr. John Ortberg says, “Spiritual growth, in a sense, is simply increasing our capacity to experience the presence of God.”

So in the tabernacle they had memories, special rooms such as the holiest of holies and the court of thegentiles. In our lives, we can surround ourselves with furnishings that point to God. Just as in your home you have pictures of beloved family members and memories so we need items which testify to our faith in God. You have a room for guests, a room for conversations and even arguments, a room for play, a room for grooming, etc. In our walk with God we have a courtyard of conversations with those who are outside of our faith. We take our faith with us to the office party or volunteering at the boys and girls club. We develop close friendships for walks and soul searching conversations. We decorate our lives with memorized scriptures and routines of prayer. When we worship, we go as if we are getting ready to play golf—with anticipation, shared excitement and internal preparation.

Brother Lawrence, a Catholic monk whose only job was to wash dishes said, “The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God. That means finding constant pleasure in his divine company, speaking humbly and lovingly with him in all seasons, at every moment, without limiting the conversation in any way.”

What can you do this week to decorate your living quarters with more of God’s presence?

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White