by Frank Viola
And that gravitational pull is the Lord Jesus Christ.
That said, if there’s anything I’ve learned by being a Christian over the last thirty years, it’s this:
• Any solution, cure, or remedy that doesn’t have Jesus Christ at its center is doomed to fail.
• Everything in the Christian life eventually wears out. The only thing that doesn’t is Christ Himself. He is new every morning.5
Consequently, all of our methods, techniques, innovative ideas, strategies, programs, and solutions don’t stand a chance if the Lord Jesus Himself isn’t front and center of them all.
He and He alone is God’s method, technique, idea, strategy, program, and solution.
He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
Christ and Christ alone is the gospel (2 Cor. 4:5). Everything else tastes like plain yogurt.
Notes
1See Jesus Manifesto coauthored with Leonard Sweet.
2By “Christian life” I mean the life that Jesus lived, which was a lifestyle lived by His Father’s life. And it served as an example for all Christians (followers of Jesus).
3See my book From Eternity to Here for a detailed discussion on the eternal purpose of God.
4Voices of the Innovators, “The Seed of Apple’s Innovation,” BusinessWeek, October 12, 2004, www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041012_4018_db083.htm (accessed February 4, 2010).
5Obviously, God the Father and the Holy Spirit do not wear out either. But all of the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Jesus, and we come to know the Father by the Spirit through Christ.
CHAPTER 6
THE FELT-PRESENCE OF GOD
REVISING OUR AWARENESS OF THE DIVINE
In 1993, what came to be known as the “Toronto Blessing” hit the United States. Rodney Howard-Browne held his first convention in the Carpenter’s Home Church in Lakeland, Florida.
That convention went on for weeks. From there, it quickly spread to other parts of North America—most notably Toronto, Canada; Melbourne, Florida; and Pensacola, Florida.
Upon hearing about the new move of God in March 1993, I traveled to Lakeland and sat in on those first meetings where “the blessing” had just begun. In January 1996, I traveled to Melbourne, Florida, and attended a meeting officiated by Randy Clark when the phenomenon had spread there in full force.
I won’t get into too much detail about my time in these meetings, but I’m glad I attended them.
Ever since I’ve been a Christian, I’ve had an insatiable hunger to know my Lord more deeply. If I hear a report that God is uniquely at work in a given place, I’ll move heaven and earth to visit it. This is what prompted me to check out those early meetings in Lakeland and Melbourne.
One thing I saw in those meetings is something I have observed ever since I’ve been a Christian. Namely, a large portion of the Christian population is seeking a fresh touch from God. They are seeking to experience His presence.
Some, however, appear to be almost pathologically dependent upon trying to “feel” God’s presence. For these souls, “feeling” the presence of the Lord becomes a benchmark to measure their spiritual condition.
I spent most of my early Christian life drinking deeply from the wells of a particular movement that stressed the miraculous power of God. While I learned many valuable lessons in that movement, I also have a few reservations. One of them is that the propensity to seek “the felt-presence of God” in that movement is central and overwhelming.
I watched many Christians struggle with this quest to the point of concluding that something was wrong with them—that God loved them less—all because they weren’t “feeling” or “sensing” His presence on a regular basis.
On the other hand, I have known Christian women and men who were utterly devoted to the Lord, extremely gifted, spiritually insightful and fruitful. Yet in private, their confession was that they had never “felt” the presence of God.
I’ve also personally known Christians who were in dire spiritual straits. Some were living double lives. Yet they didn’t wince at their poor condition, because during worship services or prayer times they regularly “felt” the presence of God.
This being said, I believe there’s a great deal of confusion over the matter of God’s presence. Part of it is rooted in semantics. Another part is rooted in bad theology. Either way, it’s an area where revision is desperately needed.
Let’s look at the semantic problem first. (Semantics refers to the words we use to express certain concepts.)
The Semantics of God’s Presence
Some Christians have a way of overstating their experiences. Others understate them. Multiple people may experience the exact same phenomenon—whether it be a church meeting, a conference, a retreat, a convention, a particular manifestation of the Holy Spirit, or a shared encounter.
One person may describe it as “unbelievable!” … “incredible!” … “awesome!” … “beyond description!” Another may describe it as “refreshing” … “enjoyable” … “encouraging” … “delightful.” Still another may describe it as “good” … “fine” … “a blessing.”
Point: People often use very different vocabulary to express the exact same thing. For instance, Watchman Nee used a unique phrase when he referred to his fellowship with the Lord. He called it “touching the Lord.” Others use the phrase “sweet communion.” Others use “divine encounter.” Others use less phenomenological phrases.
To describe fixing one’s heart upon the Lord, some people use the phrase “turning to the Lord.” Others use the word “gazing.” Others say “beholding” or “looking into the face of God.” Still others say “contemplating,” “centering,” “abiding,” or “partaking.” Others describe it as “meditating.”
By and large, it’s semantics.
I’ve observed this phenomenon all my Christian life. People express the same experiences differently. This is due to many varied factors, some of which are the person’s temperament, the specific vocabulary of one’s religious tradition, or a specific “effect” they wish to have on those who hear them testify. (Sometimes this isn’t so well motivated.)
In addition, to say that a Christian is to “seek” a feeling of God’s presence is bad theology. There’s no such exhortation in all of Scripture. Try to find it in the New Testament, and you will discover that it’s glaringly absent. It’s just not there.
An oft-quoted passage used to support the idea of seeking God’s felt-presence is Psalm 22:3. In the King James Version, it reads, “Thou [God] that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” This text has been traditionally used to invoke or summon God’s presence by singing praise and worship songs.
Strikingly, except for the King James Version, the New Jerusalem Bible, and the New Century Version, most other versions translate it differently. For instance, the Revised English Bible translates it this way: “You, the praise of Israel, are enthroned in the sanctuary.”
The New American Bible takes the same approach: “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the glory of Israel.” The New International Version does likewise: “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.” The New Living Translation translates it as follows: “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.”
The term praise here is seen as a reference to the One whom Israel praises. The text is an affirmation of an Old Testament reality. Simply put, the presence of God dwells in the Holy of Holies in the temple at Jerusalem. It in no way indicates that God is somehow made present by our praises.
According to the scholars who have translated this passage in the above versions, (1) the text must be understood in the context of Old Testament temple worship, and (2) it is God Himself in His presence in the temple who is called “the Praise (
or Glory) of Israel.”
What’s more, we must be cautious about literally applying statements about Old Testament temple worship to Christian worship. Consider the implications of Jesus’ words in John 4 in this regard.
Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.… Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:21, 23–24)
Worship of the living God can occur at any place and at any time.
Distinctions of God’s Presence
Let’s draw some distinctions about God’s presence. These are my own linguistic handles and definitions:
• The Reality of God’s Presence—when God is actually present in or with a person or group of people.
• The Felt-Presence of God—the perceptible and evident sense or feeling of God’s presence.
• The Deliberate Consciousness of God’s Presence—when one’s mind and heart are actively set upon the Lord.
• The Background Consciousness of God’s Presence—the unnoticed but ever-present consciousness of God’s presence. (More on this later.)
Here are some candid observations on the presence of God—revisions that I hope will bring clarity to the issue:
(1) God Is Always Present with His People
God is always present in the life of a believer–-whether one actively feels His presence or not. Jesus Christ Himself promised His followers, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5 NKJV).
To put it another way, the reality of God’s presence is always with the Christian, and it doesn’t change. It’s not dependent on or evidenced by feelings or senses.
The New Testament is quite loud in its proclamation that God in Christ dwells in every believer by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:1–17). This is an unmovable fact. To state it personally, you, dear Christian, are always in God’s presence! His presence is not something you need to seek. It’s not something you need to acquire. The presence of God is not something to be invoked, summoned, or sought after. It’s an ever-present reality for all Christians.
As Paul said to the Romans, you don’t need to go to heaven to bring Christ down. Nor do you need to go to the depths to bring Christ up. He is in you … nearer than your breath is to your mouth. You have access to Him at every moment (Rom. 10:6–13).
(2) Believing That God Is
There is a great difference between the “felt-presence” of God and the “deliberate consciousness” of His presence. To be conscious of His presence is to be “intentionally aware” that He is with you and in you.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Psalm 46:10 (KJV) echoes the thought, saying, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
How do you become deliberately conscious of God’s presence? By simply placing your attention upon Him. To “be still and know” that “God is” is to be intentionally conscious of His presence.
In Paul’s words, to be conscious of God’s presence is to “set your mind on the Spirit” (see Rom. 8:5–6). Some Christians call the deliberate consciousness of God’s presence “being in His presence.” Technically, that’s not correct. We are always in His presence, because He lives in us. Practically, however, to be “in His presence” is simply to turn your attention upon the Lord. To turn to Him with loving attentiveness.
One can be intentionally conscious of God’s presence by a simple act of faith. Let me give an illustration. Your nose is always with you, correct? It’s a part of you. However, you can go all day long and never once give attention to your nose. Does this mean that you are no longer in the presence of your nose? No. It simply means that you can be unconscious of it.
In the same way, the Lord is always with you. But you can go about your busy day and never once acknowledge or think about Him. You can set your mind on earthly things and never once be conscious of the Lord who indwells you. On the contrary, by setting your mind and heart upon Him, you become actively conscious of His presence (Rom. 8:5–7; Col. 3:1–4).
(3) The Secret to Spiritual Formation
The secret to spiritual formation is to be conscious of God’s presence as much as possible. Why? Imagine that Jesus Christ physically appeared to you right now. And He went with you wherever you went. You physically saw Him at all times. He was visibly with you every waking moment. Would this have any effect on your conduct and behavior? The answer is obviously yes.
The twelve disciples were changed simply by being with Him. “And they [the leaders of the Sanhedrin] took note that these men [Peter and John] had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Brother Lawrence called the deliberate consciousness of God’s presence the art of “practicing His presence.” For Brother Lawrence, to practice God’s presence was to be mindful of Him all day long. It also included conversing with Him throughout the day.
This would be akin to drawing my attention to my nose constantly. Although my nose is always with me, I may or may not be conscious of it. It all depends on where my attention is centered.
(4) The Feeling of God’s Presence
It is possible to have experiences where one is overwhelmed with the “feeling” or “sense” of God’s nearness, His majesty, His power, His love, His favor, or His union and oneness with the believer. To put it another way, it’s possible to have a “sense” or “feeling” of His presence.
However, I am of the strong opinion that we should not “seek” such feelings. Nor should we make the profound mistake of regarding such feelings as a gauge or measure of spirituality or spiritual formation.
Permit me to speak personally for a moment. In my own life, I have had numerous occasions where I felt overwhelmed with God’s love, grace, and nearness to the point of weeping profusely. (I used to be embarrassed by this, but I’ve learned to just accept it. It’s how I typically react when I’m overwhelmed by the Lord’s majesty, power, and love.)
I’ve had times when I felt God’s power so strong that I physically couldn’t contain it. I literally felt like I was going to explode. I’ve also known times when I “smelled” the fragrance of His presence and other times when I had ecstatic experiences too deep for words. (I cannot explain any of these experiences rationally by the way.)
However, none of these experiences were a measure of my spiritual condition. Nor did they indicate God’s sentiments toward me at a particular time, as though His feelings for me changed with the wind or were based on my conduct. Further, I have learned not to seek such experiences. If they come, they come. If I never have them again, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m always in His presence and that He is always with me.
God’s love and favor toward me remain unchanged. They cannot be altered, for they are based not on my work, but upon the work of Another—Jesus Christ. In addition, I’ve learned to delight in the quiet rest that comes from just turning my attention upon Him—whether that be in a time of silent stillness before Him or throughout the day when I’m in constant fellowship with Him.
This discovery is not novel. It is echoed by many of the spiritual writers of the past. A number of them have stated rather strongly that to seek “spiritual” delights is just as harmful as seeking “worldly” ones. And it’s possible to fall in love with the sense of God’s presence but fail to love God Himself.
(5) When God Walks Off the Stage
A Christian in the sixteenth century coined the term the dark night of the soul. This phrase refers to an experience when God removes the “sense” of His presence from a believer’s life. Some Christians believe that the “dark night” is an exotically rare expe
rience that few people have. Others believe it’s much more common. I tend to be in the camp that believes it’s rare.
The dark night is when God tosses out the moral compass from a believer’s life. The Christian feels as though God doesn’t exist. This is neither a dry spell nor a punishment. Instead, it feels as though God has left. The inner consciousness of the Lord’s presence is swept away without warning, and only a blind reliance on past faith saves the Christian from becoming an atheist. This is not the consequence of sin or rebellion. In fact, it has nothing to do with a believer’s conduct at all.
Here are the words of a person who is experiencing the dark night: “I feel like a non-Christian. He’s just not there anymore. I never noticed His presence until it left me. Now I long for it again. I feel like the ground under me has been ripped away. My joy is gone. I feel out of control. My spiritual feelings are dull. I’ve lost interest in and affection for God. When I try to speak to Him, it feels like I’m talking to myself or to the ceiling. Prayer once came easy; I talked to the Lord all the time. Now it’s forced. It feels like there’s a big wall between me and God. My love for the Lord has been replaced by a blank. I never knew what God’s presence felt like until it was removed from me. I cry a lot now. I want Him to return to me again.”
Some have called the dark night “a game of love” where God plays hide-and-seek. Others view it as a sign of spiritual maturity and development where God is removing the training wheels. In such cases, the Lord is teaching His children how to know Him apart from feelings. He’s seeking to show them a new way of relating to Him—one that is more mature and doesn’t rely on anything but faith.
If, perchance, you’re going through this mysterious experience right now, the one piece of advice I can give you is this: Keep in mind that the dark night is simply a crisis and pathway to greater spiritual maturity. God is still with you. In fact, He’s behind this experience. The overarching purpose is redemptive and constructive. I will not expound on the dark night beyond the above except to illustrate one point. Let’s return to our nose analogy. During the course of the day, you are virtually unconscious of the presence of your nose. The exception is when you have a sniffle, a nose itch, a nosebleed, or when you look in the mirror. But if you were to have surgery and your nose was removed, you would certainly be conscious that something essential was missing. And that consciousness would remain for quite a long time.
