Experiencing His Presence

 

"Lord Jesus, Your very nearness

brings great peace deep within,

And Your loving gaze,

speaking of grace so infinite,

Fills my soul with joy and thankfulness."

~ Christian Gregor

1723-1801

 

Those with love for Jesus know the bliss of

Jesus' drawing near. Their love yearns

constantly for such times, for the soul who

loves and longs to be near the Beloved.

We read in the Psalms, "As the deer pants

for streams of water, so my soul pants for

you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the

living God" (Psalm 42:1-2). The wonderful

thing is that there are times when we

are visited by the love of Jesus. It is a

fact that people gripped with love for Jesus

have known the intimacy of His divine

love in a special way.

 

Satan and his evil spirits can draw near to

people and pervade matter; sometimes,

too, their presence can be distinctly felt or

even heard in a room. How much more does

Jesus perceptibly draw near to those who

love Him! He can fill a room with the frag-

rance of His presence. Also, He can come

to us in such a way that we not only sense

His presence but He permeates our entire

being.

 

God is eternal, holy, and unapproachable,

but according to the witness of the Scripture,

His love compels Him to reveal His presence

to us sinful human beings. From an early

stage in Israel's history, the miracle of

divine revelation is evident. God calls Him-

self "I am who I am"---the God who is

actively present. With Moses God spoke

"face to face, as a man speaks to his friend"

(Exodus 33:11), and Moses' face shone

because of the close encounter with the

holy God (Exodus 34:29). Time and again

God revealed Himself, working in people,

drawing near in His holiness. The prophet

Isaiah, for instance, felt deeply convicted in

His presence, exclaiming, "Woe is me! For

I am lost....." (Isaiah 6:5). We read that

the disciple John fell down, as though dead

at the sight of the glorified Jesus (Revela-

tion 1:17). To this day, an encounter with

Jesus as the heavenly Bridegroom can have

just as real an impact.

 

How blessed, how holy is an encounter

with the Godhead! It is by far the most

profound experience one could ever have.

When God meets with a person in this way,

that person will never be the same again---

he will be transformed. Blessed are those

whom God has so touched with His love that

they fall down before Him as sinners. Bless-

ed are those whom God has so touched

with His love that their hearts burn within

them.

 

Histories of the great lovers of God give a

glimpse of this truth. St. Francis of Assisi,

for instance, had such a blessed encounter

with the triune God that body, soul, and

spirit were flooded with the sweetness of

Jesus. His face became radiant, so much so

that he covered it with his hood. Even if such

experiences are the exception rather than

the rule, it is still true that Jesus draws near

to each soul in His own special way as the

heavenly Bridegroom.

 

Before Your feet, O Lord, I lie adoring.

To greet You, Lord, my soul to heaven is soaring.

You are fair, so full of tenderness,

My heart is set on fire by all Your loveliness.

 

To none on earth nor cherubim in heaven

Is knowledge of Your beauty fully given

Beside it other glories all grow dim.

How blessed am I, for I am greatly loved by Him!

 

O Jesus, focus of the earthly story,

Resplendent mirror of God's power and glory,

Before You, Lord, in worship now I fall;

For me the vision of Your face is all in all.

 

 

(Ch. 17 from My All - Schlink)