God’s Promise of: His Presence
Do you ever feel as if you are walking through life alone? Do you wonder if God cares? Then join us below as we discover the promises of God and how His very presence is one of them!
Promises of the Word:
From Genesis to Revelation we can find God’s promises. Many of them we know—at least in part—yet, by examining the Word, we realize that they are more numerous and wonderful than we could ever imagine!
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.”—2 Corinthians 1:20
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”—Numbers 23:19
Every promise of God is sure, and we have a God-given right to access those promises. However, first we need to know what they are…
God Promises His Presence:
This may sound peculiar, but this is one of the BEST promises God gives… Himself.
We do not deserve God’s presence. After all, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but the thing is, we desperately need Him. It is impossible for us to have salvation without God. Or peace. Or love of the truest kind. Or truth. Or mercy. Or hope. Or a million other wonderful things that are found in and through God.
That He promises Himself might sound conceited through a world view, however, it is far from conceited. It is the truest act of love and kindness possible. It is what brought Jesus to live, die, resurrect, AND go to the right hand of the Father to intercede on our behalf. It is what saved us.
Without promising us Himself, we have nothing.
Yet, where does God promise Himself? Where are the Scriptures we can stand on?
“The Lord your God in your midst,
the Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”—Zephaniah 3:17
Zephaniah 3:17 is a beautiful statement of God’s presence and love. It is a promise of Himself and a reminder of the beauty of who He is. Yes, some might say that since this Scripture never uses the word, promise, and because He is speaking to the Jewish people, that it is not for everyone… but it is.
The very fact that Jesus came to earth for us, faced hell and the grave, then rose and continues to fight for us by making intercession on our behalf; all that confirms it. It demonstrates that it is a promise and that, through Jesus—Yeshua our Messiah—all those who believe in Him are entitled to the promise of Himself. That we as Gentile Believers, are grafted in (see Romans 11).
Still, this is not the only Scripture which speaks of God being with us; of His promise of Himself…
“…He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”—Hebrews 13:5
“‘…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ …”—Matthew 28:20
“And the Lord appeared to him… and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you…’”—Genesis 26:24
“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…”—Genesis 28:15
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”—Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you…”—Isaiah 43:5
“…I am with you…”—Jeremiah 1:8, 1:19, 15:20, 30:11, 42:11, 46:28; Haggai 1:13, 2:4; Matthew 28:20
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”—Matthew 18:20
“Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”—Isaiah 12:6
“…You, O Lord, are in our midst, and we are called by Your name; do not leave us!”—Jeremiah 14:9
While this is quite the list of Scriptures, there are still many more confirming this promise, such as in Zechariah, speaking of God being in Israel’s midst—which we have been grafted into—or in Joel, or Hosea, and others.
When God says something only once, it remains true—for God is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19)—however, when God says something dozens of times, there is a unique purpose. It means that not only did it need to be said, it needed to penetrate our hearts and minds. Once may cause us to believe, but dozens of times will disallow it from leaving.
Yes, the Holy Spirit—God’s Spirit—can remind us of anything we need to know, but there is something beautiful about having the God of the universe not only remind us about it, but tell us over and over again that He is with us and will not leave us. There is something healing and restorative about knowing God has promised Himself!
Accepting God’s Promises:
No matter which promise of God we are focusing on, it is important that we accept each of them. Not because they will somehow be broken forever if we fail to properly believe or receive them, but because God does nothing against our will. And not because we cannot fulfill our purpose without one or two of them, but because He created each promise intentionally, because He knew we would need them.
For example, let us look at God’s promise of peace. To not succumb to the cares of the world, to thrive and prosper in all we do, it is important that we accept God’s promise of peace. Yet, we need to activate that peace in two ways. One, by asking God to give us His promised peace—standing on the Scripture and our faith in God. The other, by creating a place for peace to dwell—not turning from God, His ways, or allowing ourselves to stand in the way by not giving our worries, anxieties, cares, fears, etc., to God. Or, to break down the activation even more, we need to accept God’s promise and give it a place to reside.
This need to give God permission and create a place for His promise to dwell is just as true for God’s promises of hope, glory, strength, and more. In a way, it is like a Church; for a Church to receive the fullness of what God has for them, they need to activate it by giving God permission AND a place to dwell. Yes, God will not disallow the angels of those attending, even if the Church has allowed lies, deceit, and an unholy atmosphere to rest there… but He Himself is unlikely to visit where He is not wanted. After all, is not the Holy Spirit more likely to move when the Church is in unity and welcoming His presence?
We have to have open hearts. We have to want the promises of God if they are to flourish. Yes, God will not leave us or forsake us, even when we forsake Him… but do we honestly expect Him to move in power if we say, “no”? Do we not want to welcome all God has for us by opening our hearts, by changing our habits and patterns to create a holy atmosphere for Him, and by seeking God and His Kingdom first?
If we are willing to seek God, He will come. He will answer. And all of His promises will be able to rest and flow through us!
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