The Grace of God's Presence

The Burning Bush         Credits: Grace for the Race

'You make known to me the paths of life;  in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.' Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)

Christian meditation is well described in a poem by Stephen Levine (1927-2016),  'Millennium Blessing' introduced to a group of meditators by Dr Noel Keating from Ireland. The poem opens with these phrases, 

'There is a grace approaching that does not come in time but in timelessness.... when the mind sinks into the heart and we remember' 

In Christian meditation we seek to become aware of the presence of God. This is like feeling a 'sense sublime' described by another poet William Wordsworth (1770 - 1850) in the poem 'Tintern Abbey.' Wordsworth described this presence as

 'A sense sublime, of something far more deeply interfused, 

Whose dwelling is in the light of setting suns.

A motion and a spirit, that impels, 

All thinking things, all objects of all thought, 

And rolls through all things.

The anchor of my purest thoughts, the nurse, 

The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul

Of all my moral being.' 

Steven Levine described three aspects, I think, occur during Christian meditation:

• God's Grace. This awareness, and with it the awakening in us, comes only by the God's grace and His favour. It cannot be conjured nor contrived through any technique and practice.

• Timelessness. We should become unaware of the passage of time. When we meditate, we should become oblivious to time and enter into the timelessness of God's presence. We are not trapped into a 20 or 30 minutes time bubble during meditation, waiting for it to end with the sounding of the bells. Instead we are comfortable with the sense that time is not ticking away and remain, as meditators would described it, in the present moment. 

• Communion. The mind becomes silent and sinks, almost unaware and gently, into the heart. That is when we commune with God from the heart not the mind, in prayer without words. This is when our spirits are released and interfused with the Holy Spirit. St Paul described this communion, as being filled with the Holy Spirit.

It is not every time when we meditate that we will be in God's presence. These happenings are few and far between for most of us. Many of us have, with discipline, meditated two or more times a day for many years without ever experiencing it. But when it comes, it is a gift.

This grace of God's presence is often described by theologians as the manifest presence of God. This is to be differentiated from God's omnipresence. When we say God is omnipresent we recognise that God is ever-present in the world, universe and in the whole of creation. He is always there and the Holy Spirit indwells believers at all times. But oftentimes we are unaware, even oblivious to His presence. God's manifest presence occurs when He chooses to allow us to experience Him during a specific personal and moment. 'God is everywhere' is different from 'God is here.'

The presence of God is a privilege and is described in the Bible as a sacred encounter

 

On Mount Horeb in the Sinai desert, Moses encountered the burning bush which though on fire did not burn up. God called to Moses from within the bush,

"Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy ground." Exodus 3:5

This is holy ground

We're standing on holy ground

For the Lord is present

And where He is is holy

This is holy ground

We're standing on holy ground

For the Lord is present

And where He is is holy

We are standing on holy ground

And I know that there are angels all around

Let us praise Jesus now

We are standing in His presence

On holy Ground

Leaving Beersheba to Haran, Jacob stopped for the night and laid down to sleep, 

'He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord and He said: "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac."..."I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28: 12-13a and 15 

Jacob thought 'Surely the Presence of the Lord is in this Place' 

Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place,
I can feel His mighty power and His grace.
I can hear the brush of angel's wings
I see glory on each face;
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.

Moses understood the urgent need for God's presence during the wanderings in the Sinai desert. In Exodus Chapter 33, the Lord God was so angry over the incidence of the Golden Calf worship and idolatry in the desert, that God told the Moses that He will keep His promise to lead the people into the promised land but God, himself will not be present with them. Moses argued, 

'If Your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with Your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and Your people from other people on the face of the earth?' Exodus 33:15-16

This relationship between God's Promise and God's Presence was once again emphasised at the transition of leadership between Moses and Joshua.

"Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors He will give to them (His Promise). Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you (His Presence)." Deuteronomy 31:7-8

Therefore it is important for Christians to find a quiet time every day to seek God's specifically by prayer or by meditation, hoping to be in God's presence.

In the quiet of this hour
As we kneel before You now
I believe Your promise to be faithful
I don't always understand
What Your perfect will demands
But I learned to trust You more
In Your presence, Lord

In Your presence, there is comfort
In Your presence, there is peace
When we seek to know Your heart
We will find such blessed assurance
In Your holy presence, Lord

Lionel

In His Presence

'The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim His righteousness; every nation sees His glory' Psalm 97:5-6 (NLT)

Ancients watched, often fearful and awestruck, the different phenomena of nature, of lightning storms, whirlwinds, tornados, tsunamis, cloud formations, vivid colours in the night skies. They sense a powerful, supernatural force behind these occurrences and interpret these to manifest the presence of God. These Ancient Ones would acknowledge with reverence and worship the God or gods behind these beautiful, oftentimes fearful but sometimes inspiring sights. Perhaps this was how the concept and worship of God evolved.

Today, understanding the science and nature behind these phenomena, we decry the naivety of these early humans. How wrong can we be? 'All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world.' The wise men of old saw the creator God in all of nature. So should we. 

Even though we now understand the science behind nature does not mean that God is not in the picture; God is making His presence known. The Ancient Ones got it right.

When the Israelites left Egypt and wandered in the Sinai desert towards the Promised Land, God led by way of a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire by night.

'God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people.' Exodus 13:22

Modern folks are so engrossed with our lives that we hardly notice the presence of God. We are oblivious especially when we are so busy with ourselves, our careers and ambitions that we let many years pass us by without appreciating nor enjoying the Lord's presence.

Moses understood that the Lord's presence underpinned their journey through the wilderness. God was with them through many dangers, hardships and crisis. Moses valued the Lord being in the midst of the people of God very much. He once said to the Almighty, to break off the Exodus and not proceed further unless the Lord's presence was always with them.

  

'God said, "My presence will go with you. I'll see the journey to the end." Moses said, "If Your presence doesn't take the lead here, call this trip off right now. How else will it be known that You're with me in this, with me and Your people? Are You travelling with us or not? How else will we know that we're special, I and Your people, among all the people of this planet earth.' Exodus 33:14-16 (MSG)

Christians realise rather late in our spiritual journeys that the Lord's presence is vital to our Christian growth, happiness, well being. In fact, we cannot escape God as expressed in the Psalms so eloquently.

'Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? 

To be out of Your sight?

If I climb to the sky you're there!

If I go underground, you're there!

If I flew on morning's wings to the far western horizon,

You'd find me in a minute -

You are already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, "Oh He even sees me in the dark!

At night I'm immersed in the light!"Psalm 139:7-12  

In time, we learn that our lives go on but always in the presence of God. Nothing is hidden from God. Indeed God is omnipresent we just need to sense and cultivate the habit of enjoying the presence of God.

• One common way is to take a walk through nature, enjoy its sights, smells and sounds and realise that God is with us. This experience was recorded by William Wordsworth in his poem Tintern Abbey (13 July 1798) on revisiting the banks of the River Wye a few miles above the abbey. He wrote,

 "And I have felt 

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts;

A sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, All objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things.

Therefore am I still

A lover of the meadows and the woods

And mountains; and of all that we behold 

From this green earth."

• Staring quietly at a beautiful scenery as at waterfalls and colourful canyons or sunsets and sunrises, evokes in us that awareness that God exists and He enables us to enjoy His creations. I experienced spontaneous tearing when I first viewed Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. Both times it evoked positive emotions of joy and awe. It overwhelmed me, engaged my senses; an appreciation of the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies. ChatGPT used the term 'Awe' for this response and described it as a complex emotion that involves a sense of wonder, amazement and a feeling of being in the presence of something greater than oneself. For me that was the presence of God and I broke into spontaneous prayer, praise and song.

'The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftmanship. Day after day they continue to speak. Night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard, Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, their word to all the world.' Psalms 19:1-4 (NLT)

• Christian Meditation ushers us into the presence of God. The time of meditation is the time of awareness of God. Keep your body still, your mind silent, then in that stillness and silence just focus on being in the presence of God. With time, discipline and practice, our spirits will co-mingle with the Holy Spirit, in 'prayer without words.'   

'May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.' Psalm 19:14 (NLT)

This article was inspired by my niece, Mrs Lynette Teo, who recently recorded her voice and piano accompaniment to Sandi Patti's  'In His Presence.' She sent it to both Pat and I to encourage us. Unfortunately I could not use Lynette's recording in this post; so please use this Sandi Patty's original recording as you reflect in God's presence.

In the quiet of this hour

As we kneel before You now

I believe Your promise to be faithful

I don't always understand

What Your perfect will demands

But I learned to trust You more

In Your presence, Lord

In Your presence, there is comfort

In Your presence, there is peace

When we seek to know Your heart

We will find such blessed assurance

In Your holy presence, Lord

There can be such sweet reward

When we wait upon the Lord

As we take the time

He gives His perfect wisdom

To be found in Him alone

All our deepest secrets known

We're surrounded by His grace

When we seek His face

In Your presence, there is comfort

In Your presence, there is peace

When we seek my fathers heart

We will find such blessed assurance

And ever open door

To know our Savior more

In the presence of my Lord

Lionel

For the Beauty of the Earth

Aurora Borealis, Alta Norway 26 Oct 2019

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Psalms 19:1 

On a cruise up the Norwegian coast to the Arctic Circle, Pat and I  were fortunate to see the  Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. It was a spectacular display on the night sky. It is visible as dancing white-green clouds but if seen through the screen of mobile phones, IPad, using special camera apps, the colours become more vibrant with tinges of yellow and red in a largely green spectral background. 

I discovered that the Northern Lights experience is very unique to earth. The solar winds/storms emanate from the core of the sun and hurtle through the universe passing through the various planets as strong electromagnetic waves. However when reaching earth, these waves are deflected by earth's thin magnetic field, pass the earth by  and then are re-deflected backwards to the north and south poles.

Deflection of the Solar Wind

These re-deflected  waves now become visible in the visual spectrum especially the colour green. If the strong solar winds are not deflected it could cause havoc to earth's electronic and electrical systems as well as causing deleterious health effects. 

After  witnessing the Northern Lights, I cannot help but appreciate God's grace in enabling us to see the beautiful colours while at the same time protecting us from harmful effects. How fortunate for us! What a joy to be God's people and creation.   

Indeed when viewing these wonders of nature, we are confronted with an undeniable fact, how great is our God! God is ever present. We experience intertwining relationships, God with us and we with His creation, the good earth. We are reminded of two fundamental affirmations (Ref 1)  

    

• The earth is the Lord’s by creation

'The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.' Psalm 24:1

• The earth is given to the human race by delegation

'The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to mankind.' Psalm 115:16

·    Nature can teach us many things.

 

Psalms 19:2 states "Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night night they revealed  knowledge." 

T   William Wordsworth understood this revelation. He wrote in "Tintern Abbey", 

For I have learned

To look on nature, not as in the hour

Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes

The still sad music of humanity,

Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power

To chasten and subdue.—And I have felt

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things. 

     Wordsworth found God in the inspiration of nature, the Beauty of the Earth

For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies

For the love which from our birth

Over an around us lies

Over and around us lies

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This our joyful hymn of praise

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day and of the night

Hill and vale and tree and flow'r

Sun and moon and stars of light

Sun and moon and stars of light

For the joy of human love

Brother, sister, parent, child

Friends on earth and friends above

For all gentle thought and mild

For all gentle thoughts and mild

For each perfect gift of Thine

To our race so freely given

Graces human and divine

Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n

Flow'rs of earth and buds of heav'n

      
   Lionel

L

   Ref 1: John Stott, The Radical Disciple, Inter-varsity Press, 2010

Look On Nature

‘When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?  And the son of man, that thou visitest him?’  Psalms 8:3-4 (KJV)

Bishop Robert Solomon opined that one of the spiritual disciplines is to train the soul by immersing oneself in nature like taking quiet walks in the picturesque countryside.

We had a family holiday in Wales once, Pat, Debbie, John and I in Oct 2004. I insisted on making a detour to visit the ruins of Tintern Abbey. I needed to see the hills that rise up from the valley of the River Wye. This was the nature scene that captivated the poet William Wordsworth when he wrote the poetic essay ‘Tintern Abbey.’ I studied the poem in school when I was 15 years old. It so inspired me that I had an urge to stand in awe of the natural surroundings, as viewed from the ruins of Tintern Abbey.

Since reading ‘Tintern Abbey,’ I have learned to view nature enrapt by worshipful thoughts and attitudes. Wordsworth wrote:

“For I have learned

To look on nature, not as in the hour

Of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes

The still, sad music of humanity,

Nor harsh nor grating, though of ample power

To chasten and subdue. And I have felt

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns,

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man;

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things. Therefore am I still

A lover of the meadows and the woods,

And mountains; and of all that we behold.”

The Bishop and I know the secret that God is present in nature. Let us go out of our way to find those sublime moments that awaken our hearts and reach our souls. When surrounded by the simple beauty of the woods or the splendid panoramas of the Grand Canyon we will sense the subtle presence of God. It is a sweet and gentle presence. We come out of that experience matured, elevated, chastened and subdued.

When nature confronts us, we also sense the infinite gap between man and God; just how miniscule we are and how infinitely great God is. Like the Psalmist who contemplated the cosmos, we are left to wonder just why God would even consider us. 

"Reading about nature is fine, but when a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he experiences more than what is gathered from books, for they speak the voice of God." This quote from George Washington Carver, repeats the same realisation as found in Job, 

'But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.' Job 12:7-10

Yes, nature brings the realisation of the presence of God so we can confidently declare, "All things bright and beautiful; all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all!” Listen to this lovely song by John Rutter!

 

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

Each little bird that sings,

He made their glowing colours,

He made their tiny wings.

The purple-headed mountain,

The river running by,

The sunset and the morning,

That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,

The pleasant summer sun,

The ripe fruits in the garden,

He made them every one;

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell

How great is God Almighty,

Who has made all things well.

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

Lionel

Updated article. 1st Published 27 Jul 2009