In His Presence

In the presence of God, our souls are truly at home. We were created to be with Him.  

The story of Adam and Eve seems to show us that they were regularly in God’s presence together before sin entered the equation – the result of which was a much different response to God’s presence (Genesis 3:8). Before sin it was as if Adam and Eve were in a consistent state of readiness for God to make His presence known to them. After they broke commitment to God in favor of their personal desires God still came to be with them, but they hid in shame.

The reality of sin has hindered the way we experience God’s presence. Though we are created in His image, His ‘otherness’ – specifically His holiness – can be confronting. His presence causes us to see our limitedness and imperfection. God’s presence also challenges our status quo. He calls us outward and upward in Kingdom Purpose, even if only by a step. The beautiful thing about this is that we can experience His mercy, grace, joy, peace and empowerment in a new and greater way each time we surrender to Him. There is a beautiful tension in His presence.

At Hope Unlimited Churches across the globe, we share the foundational value “His Presence is Our Passion”. In Cincinnati we are here to build a church that stands on the distinctive “We Are Presence Oriented”. We are building a church that prepares and plans in a way that honors God and people, but prioritizes God’s presence and the leading of the Holy Spirit in our gatherings. We are building a church that teaches each person to be aware of His presence in their day-to-day. We are building a church that takes seriously the need to be fully present in a world of constant distraction – in the home, workplace, and community. We are building a church that makes its presence felt.

I will expand on these thoughts in the next few posts. In the meantime, I pray God’s grace and peace over you. May you be aware of His presence today.