FEELING THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD
Nine ways in which Christ is near to His
people
by Peter MastersFROM SWORD & TROWEL 2000 No 1
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him (Psalm 25.14).
HOW EXACTLY do believers sense the presence of the Lord in their lives?
Many passages of Scripture refer to a close union with Christ, including Ephesians
3.19 where Paul prays that believers may ‘know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge,’ and that they may be ‘filled with all the fulness of God’.
In the Psalms there is a wide variety of expressions
indicating the closeness of the Lord. Psalm 140.13 speaks of how the upright
shall dwell in the Lord’s presence, and Psalm 91.1 breathes wonderful
intimacy in the promise - ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide
under the shadow of the Almighty.’ In his hour of repentance, David prayed:
‘Cast me not away from thy presence’ (Psalm 51.11).
Psalm 25.14 has the striking expression ‘the secret of the Lord’
to describe union with God. The Hebrew word refers to a close-knit gathering or a ‘session’.
It suggests an exclusive group of people relating confidentially together, and so it depicts
the closeness which a Christian has with the Lord.
All this raises a problem, for how is this closeness to be sensed? Some,
especially newer believers, do not know the answer to this question, and this makes them
vulnerable to the mystical and sensational ideas of the charismatic movement, and to the
imagined experiences of ‘pietist’ and ‘higher life’ teachers.
What, then, is this secret presence or closeness of the Lord? Is it a feeling?
This is a question we have to ask. And if it is a feeling, what kind of feeling is it - a touch,
perhaps, or a tingling, or some strange sensation? Of course, it is not a feeling. We must
qualify this at once, because anyone who loves the Lord, and experiences His interventions
in his life, and who reflects on Him, will experience strong feelings of happiness, gratitude
and gladness. Believers feel very deeply as they consider the things of the faith, but their
actual union with the Lord is not perceived by a feeling.
Many earnest Christians have picked up this idea that they ought to be able
to feel something, and it is therefore worth repeating that our devotions will frequently
produce immensely strong feelings of assurance and gladness, but these come as a
response to our grasp of God’s goodness, and are not a sensing of His presence.
We cannot have any tangible feeling, for the simple reason that
we know God’s presence in our lives BY FAITH, and this article will seek to show how this
works to our blessing.
Some people think that they feel the presence of God when ideas pop into
their head. They think that imagined leadings, visions and words of knowledge springing
into their minds are evidence of the Lord’s presence. All this is foolish and mistaken, and
may even be a form of proud spiritual elitism. These things are no indication of the presence
of the Lord. We know the presence of the Lord by faith, which means that
knowing Him is to have a firm conviction that He is there.
Does this mean that throughout my Christian life I could be deluded? If all I
know of the presence of God is by appreciating Him by faith, could I at the end find I was in
error? No, because although I do not sense Him by tangible feeling, faith makes Him utterly
certain to me, and my faith is further confirmed by the wonderful things that He does in my
life.
Never say, ‘But how can I believe if I cannot get a felt sensation, a tingling,
or just a something to provide an unmistakable, supernatural sense of His nearness?’ We do
not need that, for there is almost a tidal wave of evidence flowing through the life of the one
who believes in Him, trusts Him, and firmly remembers that He is there.
To develop our certainty and enjoyment of Christ’s nearness by
faith, what should we think about? The following headings attempt to answer that
question.
1 - Believe He is near to observe
In what sense is the Lord near to us? First, the concept of nearness tells us
that we are in His view. He watches us all the time, and this is a powerful
thought. He is near us in the sense that He views us at very close quarters, and fondly,
because He loves His people. With the eye of faith we see this. We cannot feel His
presence, or see Him literally, but we know that He is watching us because the Scripture
teaches us so.
He knows our situation through and through. Whatever happens to us, all is
known to Him; He permits it to happen; and He takes steps to help as we call upon Him. To
reflect on this daily is to know by faith that He is near, and to be mightily comforted and
strengthened.
This realisation also increases our zeal for holiness, because if we truly grasp
that He sees us at close quarters, we become troubled about our sin, for He sees it all. The
biggest curb upon godlessness in Christian people is this daily realisation that the Lord is, as
it were, standing right nearby and observing everything we do, not only with His kindly
gaze, but also with a disciplinary frown.
Imagined sensations never helped anyone to make progress in character and
behaviour, but to grasp Christ’s nearness by faith has a strong curbing,
moulding effect.
2 - Believe He is near to hear
Secondly, the concept of nearness teaches us that Christ is near in the sense
that it is easy to speak to Him. Is His presence a touch or a feeling? No, it is the knowledge
that He hears every word we utter, including every thought, and is able to respond
immediately. We do not pray to a God Who is a million miles away but to One Who knows
our situation as though standing alongside us.
Nor do we speak to the air. We cannot see Him, and we may not visualise
Him, but the very idea of His closeness helps us to pray, and it also helps us to pray in a
right spirit, remembering not to be selfish, but to intercede much for others. He is right
beside me - so I must ask aright.
3 - Believe He is near to protect
Thirdly, the nearness of the Lord also reminds us of our security and
protection, guaranteed by Him. How can I ever fall as a child of God? How can I be
disastrously, eternally swept away?
It is shamefully true that I will sin and dishonour the name of Christ, but He
is near and will not let me finally fall. He may discipline and punish me severely,
nevertheless He will bring me back.
This is not to be seen as an encouragement to sin, because the discipline of
the Lord can be very painful, but what a security it is to think that He, in His nearness, notes
every transgression and departure, and directs the processes of reclamation and restoration.
4 - Believe He is near to intercede
Fourthly, the nearness of the Lord tells us something about the riches of His
intercession for His people. It almost overwhelms the imagination to think that He is at
hand observing and watching every moment as He intercedes on our behalf to His heavenly
Father. Is the intercessory work of Jesus Christ occasional or periodic? Is it distant or
general in character? No, it is constant, and we are in His full view as our great High Priest
intercedes.
Of course, the Saviour says nothing when He intercedes for us.[1] He makes no verbal plea, but through the perpetual vigour of His perfect offering and atoning death - represented by His presence - He holds His people in eternal life. And all the time, He knows those whom He represents, keeping them in His constant view. 5 - Believe He is near to train
Fifthly, we remember that we have to be trained, and the concept of the
Lord’s nearness is graphic in this connection. A sportsman cannot be trained unless his
coach is present, watching his every move, detecting what he does incorrectly, and
sketching out fresh approaches to accomplish his objective. The coach must follow every
movement, analysing, correcting and encouraging. This is an inadequate illustration, but the
nearness of Jesus Christ to His people means that He is gloriously efficient in training us.
To accomplish this, He designs our situations to strengthen us and to bring
out trust, prayer and forbearance. He is near as He looks at each one and says, ‘This child of
Mine needs more patience, or compassion, or understanding, or boldness.’ He is like a
wonderful heavenly, personal coach, Who, viewing us from close quarters, develops our
graces for His glory.
As with sportsmen, no one may have the benefit of this training, even though
saved, if they are not praying Christians, willing to co-operate with the training programme
of the Lord. Once again we must state that the nearness and presence of the Lord is not a
feeling, but an appreciation of what ‘nearness’ means, in terms of what He does for us.
6 - Believe He is near to prompt
Sixthly, the presence of the Lord means that He is there to prompt us, by His
Spirit, to encourage us, and to remind us of vital things. This is not to suggest that Christ
speaks to us by way of revelation. There is no more revelation, for all the authoritative
Truth of God is contained in His Holy Word.
This prompting may occur when we are speaking for Him in personal
witness, or during private reading of the Word.
In addition, praying Christians know that often, through their working day,
there are occasions when they would have made a disastrous mistake, but suddenly their
mind was jogged and the possible catastrophe (major or minor) averted. Frequently the Lord
stirs the mind, and puts some otherwise forgotten thing into view. He will never
communicate authoritative Truth, except to remind us of what we have learned from the
Word, but He does help us in all our ways, as we look to Him. He can and does intervene in
our circumstances. He can help, and He does see us through. The concept of nearness
reminds us of this wonderful privilege.
7 - Believe He is near to convict
Seventhly, the concept of the Lord’s nearness includes His work of
conviction. The very instant the temptation comes, and the very moment we begin to yield
to it, He sees and sounds the alarm, by His Spirit, so that a chord is struck within the
conscience, and we know that we should not do that thing. His nearness keeps the
conscience lively and reactive.
Of course, if we do not co-operate with the stirrings of conscience, but rush
wilfully on, then He may withdraw His kindly cautions and allow us to plunge into sin,
pain, loss, discipline, and sad regrets. But if we look to Him to help us in the walk of
holiness, He is near enough to put that precious warning touch upon us whenever we are
about to go wrong. The concept of nearness therefore points to the close interaction of
Christ with His people in the pursuit of holiness.
8 - Believe He is near to teach
Eighthly, the nearness of the Lord tells us that He is near as we read the
Scriptures, or reflect on His works, touching our minds and bringing light and life. Often He
amplifies our understanding, and our hearts are strangely warmed as a better grasp of some
matter dawns.
Sometimes as we go through our day, the Lord will bring a scripture into the
mind, because He is always ready as the teacher of His people to deepen their appreciation
of spiritual things.
Obviously, we must be ‘into the Scripture’ as daily Bible readers, loving the
Word, for Christ to touch our hearts and bring the meaning home to us. He is near, and He
will bring the Word to life.
9 - Believe He is near to use
Ninthly, the nearness of the Lord encourages us that He is always at hand to
use us in His service. If I speak to an unconverted person, what can I achieve? I cannot turn
the stubborn will and melt the stony heart. But as I speak, because Christ is near, He may
work in the heart. I do not have to wait for Him to come, for He is ever at hand, and He can
make the Word effective and use my testimony.
If I am trying to help or comfort some fellow believer, how can I be sure that
my words will prove helpful? Christ is near, and He will apply them to the understanding
and the heart and make them helpful. The nearness of Christ is a wonderful assurance of
His readiness and power to use our every effort to serve Him.
It is such a shame that some believers miss the real meaning of the language
of nearness, and interpret it as referring to sensual feelings. There was an event in the life of
C H Spurgeon which illustrates the folly of this. A well-to-do attender of the Tabernacle, an
‘awkward’ brother, went to France for a holiday, and on his return sought out Spurgeon to
tell him about his experience. Unable to find a Baptist church he had worshipped in a great
Catholic cathedral. There, he said, very provocatively, he had powerfully sensed the
presence of the Lord.
Spurgeon looked solemnly at him and without hesitation replied, ‘The
Scripture says, "If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." ’ Whatever the man had
felt while in that Roman cathedral, he had no need to ascribe it to the presence of the Lord.
But excitable and emotional people long to feel.
I remember a lady some forty years ago who was always speaking in this
way. She would demand to know - ‘Do you feel the presence of the Lord?’ (Sadly for her
she died before the charismatic movement came along, which she would have greatly
enjoyed.)
She once told me that she had been to the wedding of an unconverted couple
held in a registry office, and insisted that she had felt the presence of God most remarkably
in that service.
It is sad when Christian people speak like this, because they miss so much.
We know the Lord’s presence not by some feeble, transient emotion, but by remembering
the many benefits spelled out by the concept of nearness. Then, whether we are unemotional
people or the most excitable in the world, we are greatly strengthened and uplifted by the
realisation that our God is there.
How may I be sure that the Lord will perform all the activities just listed for
me? The answer is given in the psalm: ‘The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him;
and he will shew them his covenant.’
The promise is conditional. Although Christ is always near in the sense that
we are never out of His sight, He will not always act towards us as though He is present. He
will not always restrain our troubles, keep us from falling into sin, intervene in our lives,
answer our prayers, train us, prompt us, convict us of sin, give us assurance, give light on
the Word, or even use us. All these activities are conditional, and the condition is - ‘The
secret of the Lord is with them that fear him.’ We must fear Him and obey Him. We must
reverence and respect Him.
The psalmist also says - ‘Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let
them be ashamed which transgress without cause.’ Clearly we must also be serious about
holiness if we want to enjoy the activities encompassed in the concept of nearness.
Another condition is, ‘Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the
God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ We must take guidance seriously. We
must not flit through life as though we are free to do whatever we like, but should always
remember we are bound to seek God’s guidance in all our major decisions.
It is a tremendously elevating experience to see Christ near by faith day by day. We get up in the morning, go out to our business, and say to
ourselves, ‘Christ is near to me; He is watching me with great fondness; He is ready to
intervene in my affairs; He knows everything that is going to happen to me; He is ready to
answer my prayers; He is so near He can do anything that is needful instantly; He will train
me and strengthen me for trials; He sees everything, and I will therefore please Him, honour
Him, and love Him.’
The presence of God is not a feeling but a realisation, a belief, a conviction
which sees and values the implications of the concept of nearness. This is one of the most
wonderfully rewarding beliefs of the Christian life.
To remember and value these ‘ministries’ of Christ to His people is worth
ten thousand strange sensations. Surely we should pray daily that the Lord would bring the
wonders of Christ and His work into view, and write them on our hearts and minds. Then,
by faith, we shall know His nearness.
Footnote [1]The Saviour is the Intercessor Who represents us in
Heaven by His presence, while the Holy Spirit is the Intercessor Who perfects our prayers
and presents them before the throne.
|
