God is still new to me. I’ve only been following him for 5 years. But, no matter how long we follow him, he’s so infinite that we will always be learning new things about him forever! From time to time over the last 5 years I’ve found myself struggling to understand exactly how his presence works. I’ve found myself asking this question: “How do I get in the presence of God?” 

There are times where I feel like I’m doing all of the right things and not getting anything back. I read my bible, but receive no big revelation. I sing worship songs, but don’t hear God’s voice. I pray and speak to him, but it doesn’t feel like he’s there with me. One of the most fascinating things about the question “How do I get in the presence of God?” is that we already, for the most part, know the answer; Pray, Read the Bible, Praise, Worship with music, Delight in his creation, Rest, Serve, Use your talents and gifts that he’s imparted on you, etc.

Here’s the thing about those answers: They’re right! That’s it! 

Once you have accepted Christ’s spirit into your life, the Bible says that he dwells in you. You are the temple in which he resides. It’s greater that he’s in us than in the world or a certain location. 

God resides in you. Therefore, his presence is always with you. 

When we ask “How do I get in the presence of God?” I think what we really mean is, “How do I FEEL the presence of God?”. Now that is a harder question to answer…
Let’s see what the Bible says about God’s presence.

Psalm 42 NIV
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Here we see that There’s no fulfillment apart from Christ. Now, this fulfillment doesn’t mean that life will be perfect all of the time. Our soul can still be downcast, but again, he blesses us so much that life actually is easier with God. He restores our soul. It’s a resting place. His presence is our home and we are his children!

We need God to fill us, but again, we won’t always feel it. While He is bread and living water, every meal is different. I recently had one of the greatest weekends ever and it included eating prime rib twice. Both meals were prepared by the same people with the same equipment, but the first meal tasted sweeter. The second meal didn’t have that same impact, but I left both meals equally nourished and filled. 

God’s presence can be like that. We do the same thing twice, but feel different both times. Here’s the thing though, we can have faith knowing that it nourished us. Another way to think about it is this: I didn’t taste much from the last meal that I had, but I know that it nourished me.

With that being said, it’s important to keep practicing getting into his presence, even when you don’t feel it. In fact, that discipline makes you more aware of what he’s doing in your life.