In His Presence (1)

“When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not even enter the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s glorious presence filled it. When all the people of Israel saw this, they fell face down on the ground and worshipped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is so good! His faithful Love endures forever” (2 chronicles 7:1-3).

IF there is anything every Christian (the church) needs today, it is to stay permanently in God’s presence. Though this is actually God’s plan, when He made us to know that He wants to dwell in us, but what are we seeing today? We see Christians and churches that have good names, great rhetoric, nice traditions, good theology, but lack His presence. They have the form of godliness, but lack His presence that will bring down the power and results. And what do we see? Powerless churches and worldly Christians. No manifestation of His glory and power. No godly living. No holiness.

Whatever we do in God’s name without the manifestation of His supernatural presence in our lives and in our fellowships will always be mechanical, and without the desired divine results. But when we constantly dwell in His presence, our lives and operations will be lubricated and dynamic, and we will achieve maximum results. God’s presence makes the difference. And He does not just want to be manifesting intermittently, but to dwell in and among us permanently. He also wants to constantly manifest to the world through us. Now, we must strive to create the conducive atmosphere for Him.

From the text we read, we saw how King Solomon systematically attracted the supernatural presence of God to his life, to the temple and also forced Him to make a lasting covenant with the children of Israel. When he (Solomon) finished building the temple, he wisely thought of bringing back the Ark of the LORD. Though the temple he just completed was magnificent, but he knew that it would be just big-for-nothing without the dwelling presence of God, which the Ark represented. Solomon was indeed a wise man. He wanted the full supernatural manifestation of the glory (presence) of God, and was prepared to pay the price for it.

One after the other, he obediently took steps that would ensure that. When we desire God’s presence, we must also be ready to walk in obedience with him. You cannot be a rebel; you don’t obey the word of God and still expect His presence to abide with you. Solomon carefully followed the instructions of David, his father concerning the temple’s building and also the Levitical laws of worshipping God in his day. Obedience is the primary key to our experiencing the presence of God in our lives and fellowships. We must totally obey God and follow all His directives.

Gabriel is the author of the book Power of Midnight Prayer. Tel: 08037113283
Website: Pastor Gabriel N Agbo (author) on AuthorsDen