The manifest presence of God will bring change to us and in us. It will release the power of God among us. It will cause sinners to come to repentance. The manifest presence can be experienced in all of us. God can manifest Himself in various ways. It can be a strong encounter, a mighty release of His anointing on our lives, a dream or a vision. It can also be an overwhelming feeling.
To manifest means to show forth or make known, you will not always feel something physically but you will feel it. It is to make something noticeable, to make something evident. In the New Testament, manifest means to cause to be seen, to display, to make known or reveal. God’s manifest presence is what believers see and what they know and learn of God. If you are to know God, you have to get a revelation. It is good to know about God but He wants us to know of Him for ourselves. God wants to reveal Himself to us so we will draw closer to Him. God wants us to experience His manifest presence. His presence reveals the power of His presence and glory.
There are three aspects of the presence of God.
- Omnipresence
God is always there. We might not realize it. David asked the question where can I go from your presence in Psalm 139.
- Personal Presence of God
God is living on the inside of us. We are temples of God and He lives in us (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19).
- Manifest Presence of God
When God manifests His presence, He reveals His glory. God wants us to move beyond just having a consciousness of Him but having a personal encounter.
In the Old Testament God manifested Himself to chosen people for them to do specific things for Him, but in these days, He wants to manifest His presence to all of us. He doesn’t want us to just know of Him. He wants us to know Him where we can experience His glory just like Moses (Exodus 33:12-23). We must seek His face and His presence (Psalm 27:8).
There are different manifestations of God’s presence and responses. Sometimes when we experience the manifest presence of God, some may begin to shake. When the presence of God hits you, you cannot stay still. The physical body reacts to His presence because His presence is more powerful than any high voltage. Some people cry others are too weak to stand.
The Manifestation of God’s Presence
- When the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple that Solomon built, it was brought in with singing and worship. There was a cloud and the priest could not minister because of the cloud.
- At the dedication of the temple, when Solomon finished his prayer of dedication, fire came and consumed, the sacrifices and the glory of God filled the temple so the priest could not enter the temple to minister (2 Chronicles 7).
- On the day of Pentecost, a mighty gust of wind filled the room and fire came upon the people (Acts 2). God is preparing us so we will not be like the Israelites running when we hear the thunder and lightning. We would not be afraid of His presence.
- When the disciples were praying the place was shaken with the power of God (Acts 4:31).
- Elijah was running from Jezebel and God wanted him to understand the only presence is the Lord’s. God manifested Himself in various ways including a still small voice to Elijah (1 Kings 19:11-13).
Why does God want to manifest His presence to us? God wants us to know Him more and to bring change in our lives. He also wants us to have experiences with Him and more so, He wants us to experience His love. God wants to speak to us Monday to Sunday and not only on Sundays. We should not depend on the pastor to feed us but the word on Sunday should be a confirmation of what God was saying during the week.
What happens when we experience the manifest presence?
- When we experience the manifest presence of God, it changes our motives, attitudes and behavior in a way that otherwise would never have happened (Isaiah 6:5). When we meet with God, we cannot be the same. Something in us has to change. We can go through deliverance, go to conferences but there is nothing like the manifestation of God’s power and glory.
- When we experience the manifest presence of God, we will have a greater desire for Him. Dwelling in the house of the Lord is dwelling in the presence of God. This is what David wanted.
The desire of Paul was to know Christ and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3: 7-14). His desire was to press toward the prize of the upward calling of Christ. He gave up everything for this One Thing, to know Christ. As a result, Paul experienced the manifest presence of God through visitations, dreams and visions in the heavenly realm. We must therefore ask ourselves, “What are we hungry for?” Are we really hungry to know Christ like Paul?
We cannot experience the glory of God without a sacrifice. We cannot have a revival, a reformation or an outpouring of the Holy Spirit without prayer and sacrifice. There was never an outpouring of the Holy Spirit where the church was doing what they liked. An outpouring comes when we hunger and thirst, when we push for more of God. However, are we willing to make the sacrifice? We can no longer focus on what God did in the past. We cannot live our lives based on past experiences. God wants to encounter us NOW.
- When we experience the manifest presence of God, it gives us the ability to change the circumstances around us (Acts 4:31-33). There is power inside of us to bring change. Therefore, we must speak to our circumstances because we have the power and the authority. We must touch the lives of others because His presence is within us.
