Worship & God's Presence

Sing yourselves into his presence. Psalm 100:2 (The Message)

Then Moses said to [God], “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 all the other people on the face of the earth?” Exodus 33:15–16

Fundamental to the worship ethic is a deep appreciation for the presence of God. Some churches have it; some do not. May this fifth conviction become an integral part of the hierarchy of values in every one of our congregations.

The correlation between worship and the presence of God has always been important, but like justification by faith, it has been rediscovered and is now becoming part of the believing church’s basic understanding: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise” (Psalm 100:4).

Here is how it works: We worship, bringing acceptable sacrifices before God, and great, invisible gates open, welcoming us into His presence. It is as if our thanksgiving and praise triggers some highly sophisticated security system, and in we go, right into the presence of the Lord.

There are many examples in Scripture of the relationship between worship and God’s presence. One dramatic example is the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, which, as you know, is part of the Story of Worship.

They raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. 2 Chronicles 5:13–14

When Paul and Silas sang their praises in prison, God revealed His powerful presence (see Acts 16:25–26). Worship ushers in the presence of God.

Although it is a vague memory, I think I first experienced this correlation at Camp Sumatanga, a Methodist camp in northern Alabama, when I was about ten years old. It was the last night of camp, we were sitting around the fire, and someone led us in the greatest-of-all camp songs, “Kum Ba Yah.”

I have this theory that all of us have implanted somewhere in our hearts a “presence meter” that works much like a Geiger counter, except that it measures God’s presence (see Romans 8:16, NKJV). Well, after singing “Kum Ba Yah,” my little ten-year-old presence meter clicked on and went up to about a two or a three. I would have forgotten about that experience, but years later it clicked back on again in a bank building in Tallahassee and started buzzing at about an eight or a nine. (which you can learn about in the first chapter of the book, The Adventure of Worship.)

Sometimes, when talking about “coming into God’s presence,” people have objected, saying that God is omnipresent, meaning that He is always everywhere. They might quote Psalm 139:7, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?,” or Matthew 28:20, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” And they have a point: God is omnipresent.

But it is also true that He reveals Himself in special ways in particular times and places. That is called His “manifest presence.” It is in that sense that Jacob said, “Surely the LORD is in this place.” (Genesis 28:16), and David said, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).

The biggest reason that God is looking for worshipers is that they are the ones who welcome His presence, and more than anything, He wants to dwell with us. In the second to the last chapter of the Bible, a loud voice from heaven is heard, filled with great satisfaction: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3, KJV).

The other reason that God wants to find true worshipers who make room for His presence is that it is in His presence that His name can operate. Remember, Solomon’s Temple was a place where God put His name. Jehoshaphat discovered the name—God’s authority—when he prayed in God’s presence as his enemies were about to attack (see 2 Chronicles 20:9). Jesus Himself said that heaven pays attention when we gather in His name and in His presence. There—in His name and in His presence—He gives us the authority to bind and to loose as we pray (see Matthew 18:18–20).

Becoming a People of the Presence

When God told Moses that he could enter the Promised Land, but that He would not go with him, Moses did not take the bait. Instead, he wisely said, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” He went on to say, “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 all the other people on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:15–16).

Moses had a conviction about the presence of God. He knew three very important truths about God’s presence:
God’s presence was more important to him than any blessing,
God’s presence attests to His pleasure in us, and
God’s presence is what distinguishes His people from all others.

To become a people of the presence of God, we must treasure His company, His manifest presence, as Moses did. In living to please Him, we should look for His presence in our lives. And we should be quick to search our hearts if He ever has cause to withdraw His presence from us.

When we have this fifth conviction, the most important question concerning our gatherings will be: Was God in attendance today?

Conviction #5: Our praise opens the gates into God’s presence.

Dear Lord, will You form in us a conviction about Your presence? Will You give us the same heart Moses had so that we would value Your presence over every other blessing? Let us grow in discernment to more ably recognize Your presence. And thank You for teaching us to enter Your presence with our praise. Amen.