I want to share several of my experiences I've had experiencing God's presence which I hope will encourage mostly people who cannot sense God's presence or who never have. In a recent thread, I shared some experiences about hearing God. I'll probably write several threads on that topic and this one.
It's important to start by saying that no one should seek out supernatural experiences more than they seek God. That can lead to all kinds of false spiritual encounters and experiences that end up making you feel proud and powerful and better than others rather than make you more gentle, bold, and approachable which are some of the marks of encounters with God as we see of hardened (like Paul) or fearful (like Moses) people in the Bible. I will bold all encouragement to encounter God and learn to sense His presence along with my experiences below:
1. On March 28, 1998, I was on an Amtrak train going from Baltimore, MD to Atlanta, GA. My mom told me to take my Bible, but I planned to throw it out when I got to Atlanta since Christianity had been shoved down my throat for almost eighteen years at the time. However, when everyone had fallen asleep in my coach, I had no one else to talk to and so decided I'd check out my Bible. I took it out and began to flip through it, thinking, "God doesn't care about me... Anyway, this Book is obsolete. How can a 2,000 year old Book be relevant for today?" Right as I was thinking that and flipping nonchalantly through the Bible, the Holy Spirit suddenly rushed into my coach from behind me and passed over my head (I wondered if I could feel any wind, because He came in like that). When He hit the wall at the front of the coach, He immediately spread out and filled the coach completely. Right on His heels, God stepped down in the aisle on my left and placed His right hand on me (this double entrance was very fast-- about three seconds)... and the rest is history. God is looking for us even when we aren't looking for Him, and He is near when we are unaware of it. The train experience left me feeling like Jacob felt when he woke from his God dream: "Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!" (Gen. 28:16.) If God is with us when we can't sense Him, then He can certainly allow us to sense Him. If you can't sense God, tell him how you feel about it and ask Him to manifest Himself to you in a way you can feel it. If you feel that God doesn't care about you because you can't sense Him, then tell Him that. He manifested to me right when I was basically telling Him that I felt He didn't care about me. Tell Him how you feel about Him, the Bible, and everything that has to do with Him. He prefers honesty to performance.
2. I was watching 'Prince of Egypt' with my then best friend in '02 in a theater. Suddenly, around the beginning of the movie, the Holy Spirit entered the theater room from behind me (this time like a soft fragrance that traveled slowly into the room, not like loud wind); when He had filled the theater, then I saw God's right hand descend from the ceiling above. With index finger extended, His hand remained pointing down on the top of my head for the whole duration of the movie. I was convinced everyone could sense His presence as it was so strong. After the movie, I was super amazed to hear that my friend hadn't felt God's presence nor had anyone else! I had always called the Holy Spirit just that; but I called Him 'the Spirit of God' in that experience since it was a very holy moment. Don't limit God to manifesting to you in church or when you're in Christians gatherings. Of His five main manifestations in my life, only one was in a church... and it was the fifth and last one. God wants to manifest to you 'where you live' or in your daily life: in your car, on the subway, in a restaurant, watching a secular movie, etc. The important thing is to open yourself up to God. If your heart is pointed to God in everyday life, He will begin to manifest Himself to you. He is not at all religious but very practical. Expect God to manifest to you, and it will usually begin with His speaking to you (which is why He waited till I opened the Bible before 'entering' it; He does things in a sort of 'step by step, line upon line, precept on precept' way-- like a general procession from point to point). This experience ratified or bore witness to the first as they are the only two that happened with the Holy Spirit manifesting first and then God. When God manifests to you, ask for confirmation.
3. I was in a Nashville church in early '09. Someone had given me a book about the Azusa revival of '06-'09 to read-- 'Azusa Street' by Frank Bartleman (you can read a few pages here: Azusa Street: Frank Bartleman: 9780883686386: Amazon.com: Books). I disliked the thought of old revivals as I was looking forward to the new ones. Last thing I wanted was to read about those old and gone things. Well, the church was not offering anything for me whatsoever (spiritual-wise), so I went and sat in the back of the church and opened the book. I wasn't even past the first page when it happened. Thinking how sorry this book was going to be since it was about old revivals back in the days, I began to read about the death of Bartleman's little three year old daughter. Bartleman was shattered and decided to minister double so he wouldn't have time for grief. As I read just that first page, I suddenly felt Bartleman's pain (I won't try to explain), and I began to weep. And right as I began to weep, the Holy Spirit suddenly reached out from the pages of the book and caught me by the area of my heart. The pages of the book began to burn (but in the spirit only; the book didn't burn up) as He told me to submit to the old revivals as works of His as relevant for today as they were in the past, and He began to talk to me about coming revivals also. I wept and wept and had to close the book to stop; and every time I opened it again in that church, it all began again. This was a very, very holy experience; and it was scary too. It's important to receive as credible and relevant for today the things God did yesterday. (Both on the train and in this incidence, God appeared to me right as I was thinking how irrelevant the things of God were.) The more we certify that God's ways, acts, and Word are not just true but relevant for today, the greater chance we have of His visiting us (He likes to hang around people who receive all of Him). Important also is that God is near the broken-hearted and also does things in a procession type of manner: the Holy Spirit didn't manifest to me until I began to weep (God didn't speak to Moses till he went to look at the burning bush). You both have to be 'looking' to see God as well as, very importantly, be willing to feel what God feels about things, life, society, people, etc.: it was my weeping that released the Holy Spirit to reach out of the book and 'interact' with me. Also be aware that an encounter with God can be scary but that He will never harm you.
4. I was at a church two years ago, at a Bible study with two other men. The leader started on a topic, but as we talked, the topic turned to talking about God's Kingdom and His rule in our lives. As we talked about this, the Lord manifested to my right and stood between me and the man to my right, listening into our conversation with interest: "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name" (Mal. 3:16). As He stood there taking part of this, I told the men there that the Lord was present. It was what John meant when he said this: "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you may also have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ... If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us" (1Jn. 1:3,7). It's only as people walk around Christ (follow Him in actuality) that they are 'fellows'; the Lord has 'fellowship' with them, because they talk about and do things which please Him. There are many ways to invite the Lord's presence, but one surefire way is to talk with at least one other person about the things that are truly on the Lord's mind (His Kingdom and rule in people's hearts and lives). Malachi says that when people talk together about these kinds of things, God is especially near and listens to them (fellowships with them). This is what happened at that Bible study. When Jesus says that He is 'in the midst' of two or three gathered in His Name, He means people who are together with what's on His heart on theirs (it isn't talking about gathering for church a get-together or concert or worship service but gathering and giving attention to what's on His agenda or heart). If you want to definitely begin experiencing God's presence and know any Christian who is serious about God or who has on their heart what is on God's heart, you should ask if you can just talk and pray with them. If you can do this, the Lord will begin to inevitably manifest. The promise is there in the Bible for us: "where two or three are gathered in My Name" as well as Malachi's "those who feared (reverence) the Lord spoke to each other, and the Lord listened and heard". Also, it's often easier to find God in a small group than in a crowd: we were only three people in that Bible study when He manifested. The more people in a fellowship, the more flesh and less intimacy automatically. If you can find a small cell group to join, it might help you to begin to feel or sense God's presence. Very important rule (as we see when God spoke to Elijah on the mountain after the fire and storm and noise): God works and manifests more in peace and quiet than anywhere else. If two or more people can be together and actually be 'at peace', there is no doubt at all that He will begin to manifest readily to them. Peace is where He dwells, and His Kingdom is His agenda: "Of the increase of His government (Kingdom) and of peace, there will be no end" (Isa. 9:7).
The best and fastest way to experience the sense of God's presence is in the company of at least one other person who has on their heart or agenda what's on God's heart (or someone who really does love God). It must be two or more people; His presence doesn't manifest for just one person as easily as for two or more. The basic principle is this: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (Jas. 4:8). Besides the place of fellowship, above are some ways one can learn how to draw near to God.
It's important to start by saying that no one should seek out supernatural experiences more than they seek God. That can lead to all kinds of false spiritual encounters and experiences that end up making you feel proud and powerful and better than others rather than make you more gentle, bold, and approachable which are some of the marks of encounters with God as we see of hardened (like Paul) or fearful (like Moses) people in the Bible. I will bold all encouragement to encounter God and learn to sense His presence along with my experiences below:
1. On March 28, 1998, I was on an Amtrak train going from Baltimore, MD to Atlanta, GA. My mom told me to take my Bible, but I planned to throw it out when I got to Atlanta since Christianity had been shoved down my throat for almost eighteen years at the time. However, when everyone had fallen asleep in my coach, I had no one else to talk to and so decided I'd check out my Bible. I took it out and began to flip through it, thinking, "God doesn't care about me... Anyway, this Book is obsolete. How can a 2,000 year old Book be relevant for today?" Right as I was thinking that and flipping nonchalantly through the Bible, the Holy Spirit suddenly rushed into my coach from behind me and passed over my head (I wondered if I could feel any wind, because He came in like that). When He hit the wall at the front of the coach, He immediately spread out and filled the coach completely. Right on His heels, God stepped down in the aisle on my left and placed His right hand on me (this double entrance was very fast-- about three seconds)... and the rest is history. God is looking for us even when we aren't looking for Him, and He is near when we are unaware of it. The train experience left me feeling like Jacob felt when he woke from his God dream: "Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it!" (Gen. 28:16.) If God is with us when we can't sense Him, then He can certainly allow us to sense Him. If you can't sense God, tell him how you feel about it and ask Him to manifest Himself to you in a way you can feel it. If you feel that God doesn't care about you because you can't sense Him, then tell Him that. He manifested to me right when I was basically telling Him that I felt He didn't care about me. Tell Him how you feel about Him, the Bible, and everything that has to do with Him. He prefers honesty to performance.
2. I was watching 'Prince of Egypt' with my then best friend in '02 in a theater. Suddenly, around the beginning of the movie, the Holy Spirit entered the theater room from behind me (this time like a soft fragrance that traveled slowly into the room, not like loud wind); when He had filled the theater, then I saw God's right hand descend from the ceiling above. With index finger extended, His hand remained pointing down on the top of my head for the whole duration of the movie. I was convinced everyone could sense His presence as it was so strong. After the movie, I was super amazed to hear that my friend hadn't felt God's presence nor had anyone else! I had always called the Holy Spirit just that; but I called Him 'the Spirit of God' in that experience since it was a very holy moment. Don't limit God to manifesting to you in church or when you're in Christians gatherings. Of His five main manifestations in my life, only one was in a church... and it was the fifth and last one. God wants to manifest to you 'where you live' or in your daily life: in your car, on the subway, in a restaurant, watching a secular movie, etc. The important thing is to open yourself up to God. If your heart is pointed to God in everyday life, He will begin to manifest Himself to you. He is not at all religious but very practical. Expect God to manifest to you, and it will usually begin with His speaking to you (which is why He waited till I opened the Bible before 'entering' it; He does things in a sort of 'step by step, line upon line, precept on precept' way-- like a general procession from point to point). This experience ratified or bore witness to the first as they are the only two that happened with the Holy Spirit manifesting first and then God. When God manifests to you, ask for confirmation.
3. I was in a Nashville church in early '09. Someone had given me a book about the Azusa revival of '06-'09 to read-- 'Azusa Street' by Frank Bartleman (you can read a few pages here: Azusa Street: Frank Bartleman: 9780883686386: Amazon.com: Books). I disliked the thought of old revivals as I was looking forward to the new ones. Last thing I wanted was to read about those old and gone things. Well, the church was not offering anything for me whatsoever (spiritual-wise), so I went and sat in the back of the church and opened the book. I wasn't even past the first page when it happened. Thinking how sorry this book was going to be since it was about old revivals back in the days, I began to read about the death of Bartleman's little three year old daughter. Bartleman was shattered and decided to minister double so he wouldn't have time for grief. As I read just that first page, I suddenly felt Bartleman's pain (I won't try to explain), and I began to weep. And right as I began to weep, the Holy Spirit suddenly reached out from the pages of the book and caught me by the area of my heart. The pages of the book began to burn (but in the spirit only; the book didn't burn up) as He told me to submit to the old revivals as works of His as relevant for today as they were in the past, and He began to talk to me about coming revivals also. I wept and wept and had to close the book to stop; and every time I opened it again in that church, it all began again. This was a very, very holy experience; and it was scary too. It's important to receive as credible and relevant for today the things God did yesterday. (Both on the train and in this incidence, God appeared to me right as I was thinking how irrelevant the things of God were.) The more we certify that God's ways, acts, and Word are not just true but relevant for today, the greater chance we have of His visiting us (He likes to hang around people who receive all of Him). Important also is that God is near the broken-hearted and also does things in a procession type of manner: the Holy Spirit didn't manifest to me until I began to weep (God didn't speak to Moses till he went to look at the burning bush). You both have to be 'looking' to see God as well as, very importantly, be willing to feel what God feels about things, life, society, people, etc.: it was my weeping that released the Holy Spirit to reach out of the book and 'interact' with me. Also be aware that an encounter with God can be scary but that He will never harm you.
4. I was at a church two years ago, at a Bible study with two other men. The leader started on a topic, but as we talked, the topic turned to talking about God's Kingdom and His rule in our lives. As we talked about this, the Lord manifested to my right and stood between me and the man to my right, listening into our conversation with interest: "Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name" (Mal. 3:16). As He stood there taking part of this, I told the men there that the Lord was present. It was what John meant when he said this: "That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you may also have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ... If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us" (1Jn. 1:3,7). It's only as people walk around Christ (follow Him in actuality) that they are 'fellows'; the Lord has 'fellowship' with them, because they talk about and do things which please Him. There are many ways to invite the Lord's presence, but one surefire way is to talk with at least one other person about the things that are truly on the Lord's mind (His Kingdom and rule in people's hearts and lives). Malachi says that when people talk together about these kinds of things, God is especially near and listens to them (fellowships with them). This is what happened at that Bible study. When Jesus says that He is 'in the midst' of two or three gathered in His Name, He means people who are together with what's on His heart on theirs (it isn't talking about gathering for church a get-together or concert or worship service but gathering and giving attention to what's on His agenda or heart). If you want to definitely begin experiencing God's presence and know any Christian who is serious about God or who has on their heart what is on God's heart, you should ask if you can just talk and pray with them. If you can do this, the Lord will begin to inevitably manifest. The promise is there in the Bible for us: "where two or three are gathered in My Name" as well as Malachi's "those who feared (reverence) the Lord spoke to each other, and the Lord listened and heard". Also, it's often easier to find God in a small group than in a crowd: we were only three people in that Bible study when He manifested. The more people in a fellowship, the more flesh and less intimacy automatically. If you can find a small cell group to join, it might help you to begin to feel or sense God's presence. Very important rule (as we see when God spoke to Elijah on the mountain after the fire and storm and noise): God works and manifests more in peace and quiet than anywhere else. If two or more people can be together and actually be 'at peace', there is no doubt at all that He will begin to manifest readily to them. Peace is where He dwells, and His Kingdom is His agenda: "Of the increase of His government (Kingdom) and of peace, there will be no end" (Isa. 9:7).
The best and fastest way to experience the sense of God's presence is in the company of at least one other person who has on their heart or agenda what's on God's heart (or someone who really does love God). It must be two or more people; His presence doesn't manifest for just one person as easily as for two or more. The basic principle is this: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you" (Jas. 4:8). Besides the place of fellowship, above are some ways one can learn how to draw near to God.