John 4: 13-14
Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
As Christians, we understand that God is Omnipresent – meaning He exists in every place at the same time; Omniscient – meaning God knows everything because He is the Author of knowledge; and Omnipotent – meaning God can do everything! There is nothing beyond the capability of His power! However, for the purpose of this article, we will focus on God’s presence.
While ‘omnipresent’ describes God as being present all times, in all places at the same time, there is another kind of God’s presence that is very much needed in the body of Christ today, the type of God’s presence we cannot afford to live without, the kind of presence I long for (as a matter of fact, we should all yearn for this kind of His presence) – it is called God’s manifest presence!
God’s manifest presence is the wonder-working power of God made manifest (or visible) among us. This is when God decides to show himself and makes His presence noticeable (and undeniable) through His acts among us! The world is in need of God’s manifest presence to convict sinners, heal the sick, restore backsliders, and reconcile the lost to God!
Just reading and learning so much about all the benefits of His manifest presence makes me yearn so deeply for it!
We can soak in God’s presence for hours, and be so filled with Him that the residue of His presence follows us everywhere we go! When we enter public places, secular places, malls, workplaces, marketplaces, etc., people around will encounter God! Sinners will meet Christ, and souls will be set free without us even saying a word!
A story was told about a time God manifested His presence like this in America; without any preaching people were weeping in their homes and looking for who will lead them to Christ – they went to the police station to confess their wrongs, and the police could not handle them either! Somehow the police people found an evangelist who was able to lead people to Christ!
Also at another time, a Christian lady was so full with the presence of God that as she stood in a purchase line to pay for her items, people around her were convicted and began to weep for their wrong doings (without her saying a word)! Someone tapped her and said ‘I don’t know where you have been, or what you have’, but there is something about you that makes me want to meet God – can you lead me to Him’?
Wow, this is what I call the ‘Holy Ghost breakout’! In some cases, some people have been mysteriously healed as someone filled with the presence of God passed by! This is supernatural evangelism! This is what we need today! I am tired of using our weak human efforts (preaching, distributing tracts, etc.) in trying to win the lost! When God steps in, it’s supernatural, and EVERYTHING bows to His presence!
Father, we need you to step into our cities, our communities, our countries, our nations. Your presence is what we need!
This kind of God’s presence comes through repentance and brokenness before God. It also comes through yearning for it – soaking in His presence (for hours) with no sense of hurry or haste to exit or move to other daily tasks/agendas! When God sees our sincerity and hunger, He will burst through our darkened skies, as heaven greets our souls with such a move of His undeniable presence and wonder-working power!
Even so, come Lord Jesus!