A Present Help – In God’s Presence
Throughout the Bible, God revealed Himself in various ways so that He may be known. From the beginning, God’s Word made it clear that the LORD our God is Almighty in power, wisdom, and presence. He is holy and highly exalted. When you open your Bible, you find on the first pages the might of God demonstrated in His creation.
Psalm 19:1 NKJV The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
It is amazing to view the majesty and power of Almighty God in the creation.
John 1:3 tells us, “All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made.”
This shows us the exclusive constructive power of Almighty God. After the creation of all things, God is seen having intimate and personal fellowship with Adam and Eve. They enjoyed this relationship until sin entered and Adam and Eve realized that they were unclean and undone in God’s presence. The change that occurred was both instantaneous and complete. The fall of man was completely open and known before God.
Hebrews 4:13 tells us “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open before His eyes, and He is the One to Whom we must give account.”
The change that occurred in man’s fellowship with God was so extensive and complete that fear often gripped the heart of men when God would come near. For quite a while it appears that man was left without a hint of a manifestation of God’s presence. The evil that had captured humanity continued to draw them further away from that time when they walked in His presence in the cool of the day.
By the time Noah came along, all of the imaginations of men’s hearts was only evil continually.
The extent of the evil was so great that God came down in the greatest expression of judgment that the world has witnessed. Every living thing was destroyed except for the few individuals who escaped God’s judgment and wrath. Through Noah, God sustained a remnant of people and animals to replenish the earth. When God established His covenant with Noah, He began showing in a more open way His plan to restore fellowship with mankind.
Within a short period of time, once again the general population rebelled against God and at Babel they lifted themselves up toward the heavens.
When God came down, sin in all of its power met the great holiness and wrath of Almighty God. The gap between the holiness of God and sinful humanity became increasingly evident, so God began revealing His plan to bring about the salvation of mankind.
Through Abraham’s seed, God would provide a Redeemer Who would bring about the atonement and reconciliation of man.
Yet, every time God would come down, the power of sin that was at work caused the people to hide and crumble under the presence of a holy God.
Hebrews 12:29 NKJV For our God is a consuming fire.
When Moses met with God for the first time, trembling and terrified he came to stand before the burning bush.
The LORD God told him to take off his shoes for he was standing on holy ground. Moses was in the presence of the God of all power and holiness. It was in God’s presence that the message of hope, redemption, and salvation began to be revealed. As you follow the message, God makes it clear that He has seen the abuse, oppression, and death of His people and has heard their sighing and groaning and has come down to rescue them, (Acts 7:32-34, Exodus 3:1-10). Even with everything that God did to rescue them, every time He would come near, the people would tremble and become terrified in God’s presence. It is hard to have real meaningful fellowship with someone when you are trembling and terrified in their presence.
Job declared the deep desire that resides in the heart of every person who recognizes their need for help and salvation.
Job 19:25–26 For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,
Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Something within us realizes that the only real help we can find is in God our Redeemer.
Job knew that he needed a Redeemer and his heart yearned within him to see God for himself. How can this chasm of separation be repaired so that we may have access into God’s holy presence?
1 John 4:14 NIV And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
1 John 4:15 NIV If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.
1 John 4:16 NIV And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:17 NIV This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.
1 John 4:18 NIV There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
You need to see this! When you put your trust in God’s Son as your Savior, His perfect love, that works in us, drives out the fear of punishment. Through Jesus Christ, you can cry out with Job, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and I shall see Him.”
Psalm 17:15 NKJV As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.
Think about the magnitude of what the Psalmist was saying.
“I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” That is our hope, joy and rejoicing. God has done something amazing for you. Through Jesus Christ, He has redeemed your soul from destruction and has provided cleansing, atonement, justification and righteousness. A great day is coming soon when we shall all appear before the LORD God Almighty and we shall behold His face in righteousness.
What a humbling and terrifying thought that we shall stand before the God almighty Who sees all things and knows all things.
Our only hope in that moment is that something supernatural has happened in our lives that has transformed us into His likeness and has taken away our sin and iniquity.
1 John 3:2 NKJV Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
The next verse says, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
In Revelation 1…
John, the Lord’s servant was on the Island of Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. That means that he was exiled to Patmos because he had taken a stand for Jesus Christ and His testimony. While there, John spent much time in prayer and seeking the presence of God. He wanted the church to know that Jesus Christ Who washed away our sins in His own blood is coming again.
Revelation 1:7 NKJV Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
These words are both comforting and terrifying. For those who are living in sin, these are the most terrifying and troubling words they can hear. They are going to see God. While John was praying, meditating and in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, he heard a voice, as of a trumpet, saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last…” When John turned, he saw the voice that spoke to him. When he saw the Son of Man, the LORD was clothed with a garment down to the feet and was girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire… out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.”
Revelation 1:17 NKJV And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.”
Notice the impact of the presence of the resurrected and glorious Christ. John was not able to stand in the presence of the only One Who can redeem us from our sins. The LORD’s presence, power and glory was so great that John fell at His feet as a dead man. The Lord had a message for John and for every one of the redeemed of the Lord.
In Revelation 1:17-18 NKJV The resurrected Christ said, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
The power and the curse of sin has been broken and Jesus the Christ has the keys of authority over hades and death.
In God’s presence we have a very present help.
The Lord knows how to rescue the fallen. He is able to redeem the broken and destroyed. He is able to restore and raise up the crushed and wounded. His blood is the cleansing for our sins. Our only hope is found in Him and He freely says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest for your souls,” (Matthew 11:28-30).
