Tag: presence

Where is God?

Justin Hibbard

About ten years ago, I attended The Call D.C.  On the National Mall, among tens of thousands of Believers, we prayed for God to bring a revival.  As we prayed and cried out for God, I remember feeling so confused.  “How do I pray for revival?  How do I pray for God’s Spirit to come down and sweep through our Nation and the hearts of our lawmakers?  Where is God, and how to I convince Him to come here?”

These are not only questions we ask when we’re praying for revival; these are questions that float in our minds anytime we pray.  Throughout these Reflections on Intimacy with God, we’ve talked about how you picture God in your prayer life, but let’s talk about where you picture God.  This is extremely important.  When you’re praying, where is God?  Don’t give me the theological answer.  Give me what you’re sensing or seeing.  If you don’t know, close your eyes right now and pray, and as you pray, think about the location where you’re envisioning or sensing God.

For many people, God is distant.  He’s in heaven, looking down, listening to us.  Our prayers have to travel a long way.  In fact, I think sometimes we feel like we have to ask a little harder to give it that extra push to get it to God’s desk.  It’s sort of like that exclamation point we put on our emails to mark it “urgent.”

This even comes out in the way we talk, pray, or sing.  How about that Newsboys song – “As we lift up our hands, will you meet us here?  As we call on your Name, will you meet us here?”  So, lifting up our hands or calling on His Name might bring Him to where we are?  How high do we have to stretch, or how loud do we have to yell? Have you ever prayed, “God, we invite you here to this place?”

I grew up with the idea of the sanctuary.  It’s the place you go to in order to worship God.  Most people associate sanctuary with the church building where the worship service occurs.  Whenever I ran inside our church, an adult would stop me and say, “You’re in God’s house… the sanctuary.  There’s no running or horse playing in here.”  Were they right?  Was I running on hallowed ground, and was it God’s perpetual presence there in the sanctuary what made it holy?

Let me share with you a different idea (and no this isn’t an excuse to run inside the church building).  We are told on a number of occasions that our bodies are the Temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14).  In other words, God dwells within us.  As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in a sermon on Yom Kippur, the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle and later the Temple was the most haunted and sacred place in the world because God met with the High Priest on top of the Mercy Seat.  Following the crucifixion where the Temple Curtain tore from top to bottom, Paul tells us that God dwells inside the hearts of believers.  The profound implication of that verse is that you, as a believer filled with the Holy Ghost, are the most haunted and sacred place in the world because God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, dwells within you.

In a nutshell, God is here.  You don’t need to invite God into a place or a time of worship, as though it’s “now time to do something spiritual.”  The invitation is for you and for me.  God invites us – our entire being – not into just a spiritual experience but a spiritual life.  I wonder if all those times I said, “God, I invite you here,” has God replied, “actually, I’ve been here the whole time inviting you.”

Entering into the presence of God isn’t so much a place we go physically as it is mentally.  When we realize that we’re in the presence of God, something within us changes.  Paul tells us this in 2 Corinthians 3:18 – “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

Right now, you are in the amazing presence of God.  Say it.  “I am in the amazing presence of God.”  Don’t use the past tenses; don’t use the future tenses.  Don’t say, “Last week I had an amazing encounter with God,” or “At that place I met with God” or “This Sunday, I’m looking forward to meeting with God at church.”  Rather, right here, right now, you are with God, and God is within you.

One final thought as we close.  When Moses was first introduced to God at the burning bush, God told him His Name – I AM.  Right here, right now, you are with I AM.  The question is not: where is God?  The question is: where are you?

I Saw the Lord

Justin Hibbard

In Isaiah 6, the prophet writes, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord…”

Let’s stop for a moment and focus on the first words of this chapter where Isaiah says, “I saw the Lord.” Last week I mentioned how we often focus on the past (the problem) or the future (what the solution may look like) in our prayer life, before we let ourselves be consumed by the Person of God. In continuation of our series on Intimacy with the Lord, let’s see what we can expect from our prayer life when we begin by seeing the Lord.

“I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple,” Isaiah writes. What Isaiah saw in those moments, for however long, must have been a sensory overload, too powerful and breathtaking for his pen. He quickly begins describing the angels soaring around the Throne, covering their faces, talking to each other. What are they saying? They’re saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The picture I get in my mind is like two buddies watching a sports game. They see an amazing play, and even though they both were there, they can’t stop talking about it. In a much more profound way, the magnificent holiness of God is so compelling that these angels can’t stop talking about It, even when they’re experiencing it.

Isaiah continues with the marvelous descriptions until he suddenly stops. “Woe is me!” he says, “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.”

Have you ever been to a social gathering, where you felt like you were too insignificant and didn’t belong? I imagine that if I was ever invited to a White House social event, I wouldn’t stop thinking, “How is it that I get to be here with all of these important people?” And at the same time, I’d be paralyzed with the fear that I might accidentally open the wrong door and be tackled by a dozen Secret Service Agents.

Isaiah demonstrates an important truth. When we see God, we realize our depravity in the midst of such holiness. I remember one afternoon after a prayer time, my friend asked me, “What did God reveal to you?” My answer was, “I realize how messed up I am.” Many people can relate. Maybe you walk away from church like you just took a stroll down Guilt-Trip Lane. You’re bogged down with feeling so inadequate and unable to change. If that’s how you feel, then the really Good News is what happens next.

If we miss the next part of Isaiah’s vision, then we’ve missed the entire Gospel. While Isaiah entertains thoughts about how he doesn’t belong in the presence of God, one of the seraphim, with a hot coal from the altar in hand, flies over to him. With the coal, he touches Isaiah’s mouth and says, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

This is a breathtaking moment of identity. In the story of the prodigal son, the father restores his son with a robe, a ring, and a party. Here, God does it with a burning coal. The realization of our sin leads us to guilt and depression. But God’s desire is not for us to find our identity in our fallenness; He longs for us to find our identity in the atonement that He provides. Our sin enslaves us to a lifelessness, but God gives us the gift of true living – the atoned, redeemed, and resurrected life (Romans 6:23).

Isaiah’s soul is awakened. In fact, God asks, “Whom shall I send?” and guess who responds. Yes, it’s Isaiah – the very man who felt so unclean and unworthy just moments before. Once he sees who God says he is, he anxiously raises his hand and volunteers, “Here am I Lord, send me!” Isaiah is no longer a man cowering in the shadow of his depravity. No, he has seen something. He has seen the forgiveness of the Lord. His soul has been stirred. Now we know why Paul, a man who committed horrific persecution, could see the Lord, be transformed, and say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

How did this transformation begin? It began with seeing the Lord.

We will continue learning not only what it means to enter the presence of God in our prayer life but also how to do it. In the meantime, let me encourage you to do this. As you pray today, close your eyes, and begin by verbalizing the angelic words found in Isaiah 6 – “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty the whole earth is full of his glory.” As you keep repeating those words, try to picture or sense yourself in Isaiah’s shoes, standing and worshipping before the magnificent Throne of God. You may have burning issues you long to bring to the Lord. First exalt Him, worship Him. Let this heavenly vision speak to your heart. In the process, you might find the answers you’re looking for, but chances are, you’re going to find so much more.

Praying with Expectations

Justin Hibbard

When I went to Colorado this past spring, I went with a lot of questions. “God, what do you want me to do? Am I supposed to quit my day job to focus on ministry at New Hope Chapel? And if I do, how can I make sure I have the money to support my family? Am I supposed to start my own business and do that along with ministry? What do you have for our church down the road?” I went to Colorado, hoping that God would answer those questions.

As I shared with you before, what I got was a very different answer. “Love me, Justin. Just love me.” The Lord didn’t answer the questions like I thought He would, but He did answer some deep needs burning in my soul.

How the Lord answered me and what He has been teaching me since has given me a lot of insight about praying with expectations. And that, friends, is where I want to begin in this series on intimacy with God.

What do you expect when you pray or when you worship? What do you think will happen? Do you have a picture in your mind about what’s going to happen when you turn your countenance towards God’s?

Maybe you feel like your prayers are sort of a shot-in-the-dark. Maybe it’s more like a Hail Mary (no pun intended). Maybe deep within your mind, if you were honest with yourself, you come to prayer like the skeptic – “I don’t think this will work, but it’s what I’m supposed to do.”

My advice to you is to expect nothing and to expect everything.

That might sound like a contradiction, so let me explain what I mean. First, when I say expect everything, I mean to say – expect that you are about to interact with the Almighty God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth. You are about to address a God who spoke and worlds were formed. He has no limit of wealth, of intellect, of power, of time, of space, and most importantly of love.

Do you believe that? Is your prayer life a testimony of that? We say things like God speaks to people, but then sometimes we qualify that with, “well, at least He used to.” Christian, the Bible is not merely a history book; it is a testimony to the Person of God. He has not changed. It’s not like 2000 years after amazing stories of healing and freedom, we are addressing a God, who is rather tired, worn out, and who has used all of His miracle magic.

James tells us, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:3). In Matthew 13 and Mark 6, we read of Jesus not doing many miracles in His hometown because of their unbelief. The people didn’t realize who Jesus was. They thought they knew him – the little kid they watched grow up. Their unbelief centered around their limited understanding of the Person and Power of Jesus the Divine. Are we guilty of the same?

This is why I also say come to God with no expectations. By that, I mean limitations. Like Jesus’ hometown, we can easily put a box around what we think God will do. This has convicted me. I pray sometimes struggling to expect God to intervene. Sometimes, I try to picture what His intervening will look like. Either way, I’m focusing on the seemingly insurmountable problem or the image I’ve conjured up as to what God will do. Instead I ought to be focused on One thing… coming before the all-powerful Creator and King of the Universe. I’m trying to imagine God doing something before I’ve even begun to see Who He is.

As we begin this series on intimacy with God, we will begin with inviting God into our senses… or perhaps I should say inviting our senses into the presence of God. But before we get to that, let me leave you with this. Today, spend some time with the Lord. Turn the cell phones, the iPads, and the TV off. Get alone with God, and as you begin to pray, see yourself, get in the mindset, visualize, or sense yourself walking into the presence of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Focus and concentrate on you coming into and being in the very presence of God. I guarantee that beginning with this step will transform your prayer life.

Living Sacrifice Day 9 – Open 24/7

Justin Hibbard

Begin by reading Psalm 84.

Crossroads Community Church in Cincinnati had a great idea. They decided to open up their doors during the week, and so the public is always welcome to take advantage of their comfortable couches. And get this, they even offer free coffee, soda, and wifi. I have to say that if I lived around there, my loyalty to Starbucks might give way to free coffee.

We’ve been talking about the Old Testament Temple in Jerusalem. It was the central place of worship for the Jewish people. Under the Jewish Law, pilgrimages to Jerusalem were expected on Passover, Pentecost, and Sukkot. And because God’s presence was in the Most Holy Place, the closer you got to that Temple, the closer you got to God. However, as we saw in Leviticus 16, people couldn’t just go into the Most Holy Place however and whenever they wanted. Only the High Priest was permitted to go into the very presence of God in that sacred and haunting room, and only once a year.

How many times do we ask to see the Lord’s presence in our prayers and songs during our church services? Now imagine living in Old Testament times and knowing that you would never see God, or if you were fortunate enough to be a High Priest, knowing that you would only see God once a year. Sounds pretty limiting. Or imagine being the Jewish people during the time of Moses and being so afraid of the Lord’s presence, that they begged not to experience His glory. It’s a lot different than what we’re used to.

Well, fortunately, God does not live in a building; He dwells within us, and those restrictions no longer apply. We are the walking Most Holy Place. One of the Temple workers, infatuated with the House of God, says in Psalm 84:10, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” His point is that there’s no better place to be than in the presence of God. Fortunately, if you are a Believer, that house is open 24/7. You have access to the presence of God in a way which Aaron, Moses, or David never got to experience while they were alive on earth.

Do you take advantage of that 24/7 access to God? Do you live your life as though you are perpetually in the presence of God? Or do you forget? Meditate on this thought: you are the walking Most Holy Place – not just when you realize it, but every second of every day. God is really with you – not just when you are good, but all the time. The more you recognize that you are always in the Lord’s presence, the more your life will change, and the more you will be inclined to be a living sacrifice.

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