Could you even imagine what it would be like to be in the presence of God? Even as I'm typing this, this huge smile crosses my face, my eyes widen to the sky, and my heart begins to beat more quickly…and I'm just thinking about being in God’s presence.
How would we respond if we really encountered God?
How would we be Holy Different?
In searching out this answer, here are a few of my favorite responses to being in the presence of the Lord.
Moses encountering God in Exodus 33 and 34
Then Moses had one more request. “Please let me see your glorious presence, “ he said. The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, ‘the Lord’ to you. I will show kindness to anyone and I will show mercy to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” (chp. 33:18-20)
Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and called out His own name, “the Lord,” as Moses stood 
Moses immediately fell to the ground and worshiped. (chp. 34:5-8)
When Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant he wasn’t aware that his face was glowed because he had spoken to the Lord face to face. (chp. 34:29)
Isaiah encountering God in the Temple Isaiah 6
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of His robe filled the Temple. (vs. 1) Then I said, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the Kind, the Lord Almighty!” (vs. 5) Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?” And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.” (vs. 8)
Jesus with His disciples in Luke 24
Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting His hands to heaven, He blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshiped Him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. And they spend all of their time in the Temple, praising God. (vs. 50-53)
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Moses, Isaiah, and the disciples all had a glimpse, a God glimpse of His presence. Moses was glowing, falling to his knees in worship, Isaiah on his knees in worshiped committed his life to God as a witness, and the disciples all were filled with joy and praises to God.
Each response resulted in pure praise to the Lord. As Christians, we have the ability to encounter God each day through prayer, worship, praise, and fellowship. Do our responses result in praise? If not, we must question are we really encountering the God of the universe.
Does your life show a Holy Difference from those who don’t know Christ?
2 comments:
My favorite story of being in the presence of God is when King David, in 2 Samuel 6:14 dances in the presence of the ark of God. "Then David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the Lord with abandon, as he and all of the Israelites were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and to the sound of the Lord."
The baby John, who leaps in the womb of Elizabeth when Mary goes to visit, also dances in the presence of the Lord. As quoted by Fr. Robert Barron, John is the new David who dances as the ark of the Lord (Mary) brings God into his presence.
(For a commentary visit http://www.wordonfire.org/WOF-Radio/Sermons/2009/Sermon-467-Joy-Before-the-Ark-of-God-Fourth.aspx)
This is relevant to Palm Sunday, when Jesus was greeted during his entry into Jerusalem. Matthew 21:6-
Thus, when I consider being in the presence of the Lord, my heart leaps with joy, and my body follows in dance. So dance in the presence of the Lord. And we can dance, in His true presence in the Eucharist.
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