How can the presence of God be described?
There is a ministry for teens called Happening. It is a very effective program of spiritual renewal supervised by adults but lead by teens, for teens. At the beginning of the weekend experience the leader asks the participants to with hold their judgment until the end. This is not something that can be described, they are told. You have to experience it. The talk continues with the image of a strawberry. The participants are asked, how could you describe the taste of a strawberry to someone who has never had one? No, this is not the shortest thing you will read. There will be an attempted answer. However, let us just acknowledge we are attempting the impossible.
As a pastor I often have the privilege of listening to people share their stories. They tell me the joys and sorrows of their lives. They wrestle out loud with choices and with mistakes. Often during the telling I find my eyes welling up with tears. It’s not just because of what I’m hearing. It is because where two or more or gathered, Jesus is present. When he comes tears come to my eyes.
Some pastors find it hard to worship during the Sunday service. There are so many details to think about. There is a sermon to preach. There are pastoral issues among the members. There is probably the conflict of the moment or the problem of the week. However, for the most part, I have been blessed with the ability, (at least once the sermon is past) to relax into the presence of God as the Bible says, “He inhabits the praises of his people.” Sometimes in the middle of saying the communion prayers I am just spiritually lifted and momentarily somehow both on earth and in heaven. The music, the words, the sacrament, the choir in the background, the people kneeling at the rail and God is present. It’s enough to make you faint if you let go.
Often when praying for the healing of someone there are physical manifestations. One might feel warmth or tingling in the body. My late wife was particularly anointed for healing prayer. Those she prayer for would often say so.
Sometimes we experience that presence of God from the majesty of his creation. I’ve been around the United States both living and traveling. There are many places where the local people say, “This is God’s country.” Of course, all of it is. Yet some places hold a special anointing, to use a church word. There is an eerie, awesome, give you goose bumps kind of feel to these places. Some are mountain tops. Some are river valleys. Some are untouched by human hands. Some are cultivated gardens. No, I can’t tell you exactly, but you will know when you know.
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