One of our small group members said, “God does not withdraw His presence from us; we withdraw ourselves from the presence of God.” There is truth in his statement. After Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they hid themselves from the presence of God when they heard Him walking in the garden (Gen. 3:8). They were afraid, guilty and ashamed.
Jesus said, “… everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” (John 3:20). Yes, many of us had experienced the truth in this verse in that when we have sinned, we avoided situations (e.g., not attending worship services and/or small group meetings) where we would be reminded of our broken fellowship with God. We avoided the light that would shine on our darkness.
We often quote Heb. 13:5b … “I will never leave you nor forsake you” … as God’s promise of His presence with us. If you were to read the whole verse, we are told to keep our lives free from the love of money and instead to be contented with what we have with the assurance that God would not abandon us. Many of us probably can recall when our pursuit of money had pushed God out of our minds and lives and we were no longer conscious of His presence with us. Indeed, “no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matt. 6:24).
Moses said that the nation of Israel was distinguished (different) from all other nations by the nearness or presence of God in their midst (Deut. 4:7). He elaborated on their uniqueness in Deut. 4:32-40. I think the Church is similarly distinguished from all other people. The following is my rephrasing of Deut. 4:32-40 to apply to us.
Indeed, ask now …since the beginning of time, from one end of the heavens to the other, has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it?
Has a god tried to redeem for himself a people by dying for them, as Christ did for us on the cross? To us it was shown the mercies of God that we might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him. Because He loved you, therefore He chose to suffer and die for you.
Has there been any people who can approach the LORD God, who dwells in unapproachable light, with confidence to receive mercy and grace in the time of need? Has any people have the Word of God as readily available as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path?
Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.
So when you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask that you present your body as a living sacrifice to God and follow Him all the days of your life?
We are not only distinguished by God’s presence; His presence also grant us success in that all we do. Whether he was a slave or the chief steward in Potiphar’s house, a prisoner in jail or the prisoner-in-charge or the second-in-command over all the land of Egypt, Joseph was successful because the LORD was with him (Gen. 39:2-4, 21-23).
Before we explore the question, “Does God withdraw His presence from us?” further, let’s look at God’s presence with His people.
There were two instances in the Bible when God declared His impending withdrawal.
In contrast to the earlier instance (of the Golden Calf incident), God actually executed His withdrawal from the temple. In the following verses, we see the withdrawal of the glory of the Lord (the manifestation of God’s presence) from the temple to the Mount of Olives.
4 And the glory of the Lord went up from the (golden) cherub to the threshold of the house (the entryway between the two bronze pillars), and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord.
18 Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the (living) cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. (Ezek. 10:4, 18-19; italics mine)
22 Then the cherubim lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them. 23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city. (Ezek. 11)
The withdrawal of God’s presence from the southern kingdom of Judah did not mean that God had rejected or abandoned the nation of Israel (see Jer. 31:35-37). Daniel, Mordecai and Esther in exile continued to experience God’s presence and protection. Ezra, Nehemiah and the returnees experienced God’s help in answer to their prayers. And the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi received God’s revelation for the people.
God is omnipresent but our experience of His presence often does not always match up. The psalmist declared in Psa. 73:28 that it is good to draw near to God. How do we draw near to Him? How do we seek Him? The answer is found in the answer to another question, “How has God manifested Himself to us?”
Though we cannot see God, He has revealed Himself and His power through His creation (Rom. 1:20). One of our small group members shared about his experience at the shores ... he saw the waves hitting the rocks and felt the strong ocean winds caressing his body and for that moment, he cannot help but experienced God's presence and embrace. He praised God, humming the hymn "How Great Thou Art". (1) Thus we can draw near to God through His creation.
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to men through the prophets; in these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son, Jesus Christ. Many of these revelations have been preserved in the written Scriptures. (2) Therefore, we can seek God through the Bible, the written Word of God. (3) Finally, we seek God through prayer. Talking with God acknowledges His existence and presence.
Are you going through a difficult episode in your life now? Are you feeling that God is nowhere near you? Read Psa. 40:1-3. The psalmist exhorts us to wait patiently, continue to pray and trust God. God is nowhere with you.