David expresses his one desire in Psalms 27:4. One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek; that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to meditate in His temple.
There’s a great deal you need to understand about the presence of the Lord. Do you believe God is present? Are the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit present? How do you know? If you say, “I feel their presence,” this may be inadequate because feelings can be deceptive. Some of you don’t feel a thing.
Then how do you know that the Lord is here? “I know because the Word says so.” Then how can you know it experimentally? There’s a difference between what the Scriptures say exists and what you actually experience. You have to appropriate, practice, and develop an awareness of the Lord.
You want Him to be real to you, but that doesn’t just happen. You make it happen! Have faith for it. Practice the presence of the Lord. Take down the walls and veils to your understanding. Soon it becomes a blessed experience. Do not think that God comes forcing Himself upon you.
The Scripture says, “Draw nigh to the Lord, and He draws nigh to you” (James 4:8). You come close to the Lord by opening the door. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20. You’re not going to have that spiritual glow or sense the presence of the Lord automatically. It comes because you practice it; you appropriate it.
The practicing of His presence is one thing, but bringing His presence into manifestation for others is another. The Old Testament tells how the Israelites carried the ark of the covenant with the staves placed through the little loops on the side. They believed God was with them because the glow and the glory of God were there.
The ark became a real symbol to them because God said that He would manifest His presence there. When the people wanted God in the situation they carried Him into it. They moved God right into the tabernacle. His presence was there.
They built the tabernacle, but the tabernacle was nothing without the presence of the Lord in it. After the temple was built Solomon brought in the ark. The priests drew out the staves and discarded them, indicating that the ark was to remain in the temple. No one could move God out of the situation.
When we practice the presence of the Lord we take His presence as it is real to us and bring it into manifestation. When we bless someone we believe to manifest the Lord’s presence to that person in the blessing, and the Lord becomes real to them. That’s what the Communion means. That’s what worship is all about.
If you just worship along with nothing happening, it’s because you’re not with it; you’re not believing. Worship is an act of faith. God is present, so tune in to Him.
An understanding of that little phrase “tune in” is very important. Although you can’t find it in the Bible or any concordance, it should be there. If you knew how, you could tune in to the many different sounds that are going on about you. The Word of God says “There are so many different voices and none of them without signification” (I Corinthians 14:10). What we really need is that sure word which comes from the Lord—that particular manifestation which is the Lord.
You have to tune out a lot of things when you tune in to the presence of the Lord. When you walk with God you transfer the concentration of your conscious mind to what you want to be real to you. You can choose what you want to tune in to—it may be your girl friend or boy friend, some particular situation, or the Lord. But the Lord will become real to you only when you bring His presence into every situation.
When the Israelites were going out to war they took the ark of the covenant with them. God said, “The battle is not yours, but the Lord’s” (II Chronicles 20:15), and so they carried the Lord right into the middle of the battle. If it’s the Lord’s battle He should be there to do some fighting.
Once David and his men were down in a little ravine and the Philistines were walking beside it. The Lord said, “Don’t make a move until you hear the sound in the tops of the mulberry trees” (II Samuel 5:24). You’re not to make a move until you know the Lord is in front of you and then you follow Him. The Lord must be brought into the situation. Don’t just practice His presence for your own comfort, but make Him a part of every problem.