The Tangible Touch of His Presence
HE SPEAKS THROUGH HIS TANGIBLE PRESENCE
Ex 33:13-15 NKJV
Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people.” And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.
Ps 16:11 NKJV
You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Ps 51:11 NKJV
Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
When I read the first two verses above, it was quickened to me that “show me Your way” and “show me the path of life” were both connected with His Presence. Moses asked to know the way and the Lord; God answered that His Presence would go with him. Basically the Lord was responding, “If you want to know My way, know My Presence. If you want to know Me, know My Presence.”
A friend once told me a story where he visited an out of town church with intentions to speak directly to the pastor. They met in the hall and he apologized that he did not have an appointment, but he really wanted to speak to him. The pastor responded, “That’s OK, the Lord and I have an understanding.” When I asked my friend about this, we felt that what the pastor meant was that my friend had passed inspection according to some hidden agenda. I have thought about that many times, wondering what secret he had with the Lord! Finally I understood that when he literally felt the Lord’s tangible Presence, he knew it was a God ordained appointment.
HOLY GOOSE BUMPS
I can still remember the week after the Lord visited me and handed me His solid gold pen. I had no idea what the pen was for and my Dad had recently given us our first computer. I suddenly woke with a desire to write an article for a magazine on how God speaks. I spent the entire day typing an introduction that was 20 pages. At the end of the day I was walking down the hallway and said to the Lord, “This is no article, this is a BOOK!” At that exact moment a huge barrel of goose bumps were poured out upon me. Wave after wave after wave as I stood there being washed by His love. The hair on my arms were standing on ends. I was totally amazed as I hadn’t felt the Lord like that in years. It was all I needed, to know I was to write the book on my heart and that He was with me.
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Experiencing the Presence of the Lord is such a precious, intimate experience. Non believers often experience His touch when they are downloaded with goose bumps and their heart is quickened in response to something emotional. Sometimes their hair stands straight on their follicles as they feel bursts of emotion. Christians of course experience this too and it is very common. However there are other experiences of His Presence that are just as powerful.
WARM WAVES
Sometimes His Presence is like waves of warm electrical pulses moving up and down one’s body. These can sweep over in gentle waves like soft tender kisses. Or they can strongly move in one strong download. I have felt them most often during corporate worship where many people and angels are gathered together singing. My heart becomes so melted and open when He ministers to me with His waves.
I have also experienced strong downloads of His Presence in prayer rooms where many are gathered and all praying in tongues at the same time. It is an awesome experience, almost like walking into pure, raw power.
RADIANT HEAT
Sometimes His Presence is felt in heat. It is like having a hot flash over a particular part of one’s body, or whole body. I know of a fellow who whenever he worships, he feels heat against his face, as though he is standing in front of a radiant heater. Gifts of healing often manifest in heat waves or on the body part that is being healed.
TREMBLING
I have often experienced the Presence of the Lord through trembling. A sudden weakness hits my body and I begin to quiver. If His Presence is stronger, I tremble. If it is strongest, I radically shake. I can remember one time after a wonderful worship service, I saw a vision of a huge tuning fork. I felt my body gently pulsating in vibrations deep inside. Immediately the pastor came to the pulpit and said he was feeling gentle vibrations inside of him. Many experienced this. In our worship, we can become tuned, aligned and one with His beautiful Presence.
Ps 114:7-8 NKJV
Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, Who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a fountain of waters.
DRUNKENNESS
Another experience in His Presence is losing strength and coordination, almost like drunkenness. When I first was introduced to a church service where people were experiencing something that appeared like drunkenness, I saw they were floppy and not very well coordinated and very happy! I saw people slide out of their chairs unable to sit up. One was crawling because she couldn’t walk. Others were wobbly. I watched these wild things around me, totally stone sober. After several exposures to this, I finally told the Lord I would like to feel His Presence, since others were obviously feeling Him. One day He answered that prayer when I accidently brushed shoulders with the guest speaker at a conference.
It was the last night of a conference and the speaker came down off the stage. I had just finished praying for the last person, and had gathered my things to go out the side door. He dropped down off the stage at the same time I came from the other direction and we briefly touched shoulders. He smiled and said, “Bless you!” I was embarrassed at bumping into him and smiled sheepishly. My very next step, my left leg was dragging. It felt like I was moving concrete through water.
This had never happened to me before and I was laughing delightedly all the way to the car! I could barely walk, but since I still had one good leg, I got to the car dragging the other one behind me. I knew I had been touched by the Lord and that I had only one “inebriated” limb! I thought the Lord had a very funny sense of humor to only touch one leg. I knew exactly why He had done that. He wanted to make sure that I understood this was His supernatural touch. The rest of me was totally sober! Grandma Anna would NOT let me drive us home, she took over the wheel since my left leg could not work the brake. I went to bed very happy and very touched for the rest of the night!
After that experience I think that the Lord began to play with me during my first soaking times in His Presence. Instead of my whole body getting doused, I would feel ONE body part being touched by Him! It was like I was perfectly normal in one part, but another had lost strength and was wobbly and weak. Several times when I was playing keyboard on the worship team, I would feel His Presence all over me and I was weak as a kitten to stand up and walk. But my hands and arms were strong! Other times I would feel His Presence in one foot and not the other!
Acts 2:11-16 NKJV
…we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.” But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. For these are not drunk , as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
Dan 10:10-11; 18-19
Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling…Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me. And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
HIS GLORY: THE KABOD
1 Kings 8:11 KJV
So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory (#3519) of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.
KABOD IN THE HEBREW # 3519
kabowd (kaw-bode’); rarely kabod (kaw-bode’); from OT:3513; properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness: -glorious (-ly), glory, honour (-able).
The first time I knew that I had experienced His kabod, I could barely move my arms, my body, or keep my head up. It was like the heaviest type of relaxation I had ever experienced. His kabod is not a heavy oppressive kind of weight, just a deep weight of rest in the whole body. When the Lord’s kabod comes and rests over a congregation, people can sit still for hours in His Presence and not even know time has passed.
I heard a speaker say that sometimes the glory of the Lord sits upon you like a heavy weight. I knew that because I had experienced that during worship. But the speaker said that occasionally it will effect only someone’s legs and she mentioned several ministers this happens to. A light of understanding went on inside of me and my mind went back to the first time I experienced that. It came through an impartation.
From that moment on, I have felt the Lord’s Presence first in my legs when His glory comes into a room. Often I walk as though through deep water when this happens. It has the same tangible pull on the muscles as though waking through deep water in a swimming pool. I love being touched by Him in this way.
CRYING
Often when I feel the Lord’s love through His tangible Presence, my heart softens and tears comes to my eyes. Most of these times come when I am worshipping Him and tender tears fall as He melts my heart.
LAUGHING
Other times I am overcome with laughter of joy. This comes very deep within like belly laughs. I can not stop them and they come in waves. I laugh so hard I cry! When I have experienced these things, I received deliverance and healing of deep wounds. When I come out of that time I am washed with peace and a deep sense of relief, feeling lighter in my heart.
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