Presence of God

Definition and Meaning

The presence of God denotes God's coming to be with his people. Theology distinguishes two senses. The first is omnipresence, the teaching that God is present everywhere. The second is special presence, in which God reveals himself and is with particular people at particular times and places. When Christians speak of "experiencing the presence of God," they usually mean the second sense.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament records the presence of God in connection with places.

• In the Garden of Eden, God was with humankind.
• During the wilderness period, his glory filled the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34–35).
• Later, the Holy of Holies of the Temple in Jerusalem and the Ark of the Covenant came to be regarded as the place of God's presence.
• Ezekiel 48:35 gives the name of the restored city as "Jehovah-shammah," that is, "The LORD is there."

The New Testament describes God's presence as something realized in people and in community.

• Jesus is called Emmanuel, "God with us" (Matthew 1:22–23).
• The word "dwelt" in John 1:14 is understood to mean "pitched a tent" in the original language, and many interpreters therefore read the Incarnation in connection with God's presence in the tabernacle.
• Since the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has dwelt within believers; it is therefore taught that believers and the church are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16–17).
• Revelation 21:3 declares that in the New Jerusalem God will dwell with his people.

During the Reformation, views diverged over how Christ is present in the Lord's Supper. The differences among Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli, and John Calvin are treated in the article on the Eucharistic controversy. The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawrence, a seventeenth-century French monk, has also been translated into Korean and is widely read in Korea.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, it is common to begin worship with silent prayer or to pray, "Be present with us at this hour." The idea of God's presence is frequently invoked in describing worship and prayer.

Emphases differ by denomination and tradition.

• The Presbyterian and Reformed traditions regard the preached Word and the sacraments as the channels through which God is present. They also tend to value assurance grounded in the Word over emotional experience as such.
• Methodist and Holiness churches understand God's presence through the concept of the "means of grace" (prayer, Scripture, the Lord's Supper, and others) in Wesleyan theology, while also emphasizing the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.
• Pentecostal and charismatic churches, such as the Full Gospel churches in Korea, actively emphasize the presence of the Holy Spirit as experienced in praise and worship gatherings, praying aloud together (tongseong gido), and meetings at prayer retreat centers.
• The Anglican Church understands God's presence within a liturgy (worship with a fixed order and form) centered on the Eucharist.

Denominations and theologians also differ in the extent to which they accept forms of prayer that quietly meditate on God's presence, such as contemplative prayer.