There must be more

Discovering the manifest presence of God

After last Sunday night, there’s been a driving passion in my heart that keeps whispering, “There’s more than you already know. More than you already have. More than you’ve already encountered!” And this is concerning the glory of the Lord – the manifest presence of God. Yes, in my heart, I know there must be more!

During this time of deep yearning, I’ve grown to realise that even though God is omnipresent, there are times when He chooses to concentrate the very essence of His being into one moment, one experience or one season. And when this happens, there’s always a strong sense and awareness that God Himself has “come in” – that the Almighty has entered and interrupted our very existence.

For divine reasons God chooses to concentrate or reveal Himself more strongly in one place than another, and more at one time then another. This Is God exercising His sovereignty. However, when God chooses to visit any group of individuals, His manifest presence often affects their bodies in some way or other. He draws aside one or two layers of the protective curtain between Him and us, and exposes our frailty to the awesome energies of His divine being. The result is His glory profoundly affects the whole person.

“And the priests could not perform their duties because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled His temple” [1 Kings 8:11]. “The temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their duties because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God” [2 Chronicles 5:13].

Whenever God begins to visit a place or among a group of people, unusual things start happening simply because the “Almighty” is there. Man is a tri-part being, he is made up of spirit, soul and body, and these parts cannot be divided when standing in God's presence. Man reacts to God as a whole being. Therefore, it’s probably foolish to think that man can react or respond in the realm of the spirit without anything at all happening to the rest of him. If God’s glory is powerful enough to shake a mountain, imagine what it can do to the fragile human frame? Exodus 19:18, “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.”

In fact, if it wasn’t for the blood of Jesus none of us could survive in God’s presence. In Leviticus 16:2 the Lord said to Moses, “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place, behind the curtain [veil] in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will surely die, because I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.”

However, God’s Word reveals that the veil of division was torn in two by Christ’s death on the cross at Calvary, and that now we have free entry (access) into God’s presence through the blood of Jesus. But too many believers just aren’t entering in. Occasionally somebody may fall or stumble his way past the torn veil and into the Holy of Holies, only to come out wide-eyed and legless. In some churches they get excited and energised, right in front of the veil, through loud singing and dancing. But this boisterous excitement is enacted merely at the possibility of going in, so it’s never concluded.

The purpose of the blood is to “anoint” you and I, and help us to make the transition from flesh to glory (beyond the veil). Your flesh cannot glory in the presence of God. Therefore, when ever the glory of God comes, your flesh won’t feel very comfortable. You may even become like the prophet Isaiah whereby your flesh is so weakened in His presence that it’s unnecessary for you to do anything but behold Him in His glory. However, God expects all of us to “enter in” to a place of intimacy; the blood was shed and the veil was torn that we may come in boldly! There may be times when God chooses to step out from the Holy of Holies and manifest Himself in the smoke, or the glory cloud, but you have free and direct access right now - it’s your choice! And it’s the blood of Jesus that’s made this possible. “Therefore, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil that is His flesh” (Hebrews 10:19,20).

Anytime you choose, you can establish a state of “pure” worship; a state where you are already convinced of His holiness. It is where you are fully aware of His worthiness to receive honour and praise; a state where you have a driving desire to go in even deeper, and experience even more. Smith Wigglesworth certainly knew about such need. There is an account in one of his biographies about a minister who entered into a room to pray with Smith Wigglesworth, and this man was determined to pray with him as long as possible. In the end, he finally had to crawl out of the room on his hands and knees, saying, “It was too much of God.”

The end result of your quest to “enter in behind the torn veil” and experience more of God’s manifest presence, should be “all of God and nothing of me.” What must remain is God’s glory, not man’s gifts, ministry, opinions or abilities. In God’s manifest presence, you and I need to do very little, yet great and mighty things will happen.

Remember, God had crowned Adam and Eve with the same beautiful light that was on God Himself. He anointed them head to foot with His own glory! He covered them with His very presence. Consequently, they began to radiate the glory of God and needed no other means of protection. Romans 6:4 declares that, "By the same glory we should walk in newness of life." Therefore, according to God's Word you and I should be abiding in His awesome glory continuously! Let’s go in behind the veil – right now!

Chris Demetriou, 24/09/2006