Let’s drawing 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 Active 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 is 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).
From Revise Us Again by Frank Viola, author