The tangible presence of the Lord surrounding us will be necessary as we walk through the days of trouble ahead. When an angry crowd was coming to take Yeshua (Jesus) and throw Him down a cliff, He walked through their midst and was gone (Luke 4:28–30). Yeshua was able to pass through the crowd without them seeing Him because the presence of the Father surrounded Him. In Psalm 27, David recognized that he could be concealed in the Tabernacle, in the secret place of the Lord.
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock. (Psalm 27:4–5)1
When Solomon dedicated the First Temple, the glory of the Lord filled the house in a thick cloud so that the priests were not able to stand and minister (1 Kings 8:10–13). Moses also stood in the presence of the Father and his face shown with God’s glory (Exodus 34:30). In 1906, God’s presence over Azusa Street in Los Angeles could be seen for miles and drew people to come in. His presence was so thick that people were not able to stand and the miraculous took place. It was a visible, tangible presence of God that was restored to the earth. During these times of trouble, His glory, majesty, dominion, and authority are available for us (Jude 1:25). We can be concealed in the thick cloud of His presence. We are to dwell with Him, and God is able to make us “stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 1:24).
As Christian believers we are to have a life in the presence of the Lord. Yeshua promised that He and the Father would come and take up their abode with us; likewise the Holy Spirit is to indwell us and surround us. Unfortunately, our generation has become so conditioned to moving without Him that we are not even aware that His presence is available. Are we surrounded by God’s presence as they were in Solomon’s Temple? It is clear we are not, and we must have a drive like David to stand in His presence. When God came to deliver Israel out of Egypt, He said, “I have come down because I have heard the cry of My people.” That cry needs to be restored in this generation, a cry that makes Him bring His presence back into the earth. Do not just say, “Oh, His presence was in the service this morning. It was so delightful.” No, I want God’s presence so powerfully sitting around us that we cannot stand to minister, that we are overwhelmed by the majesty of His presence.
In Ezekiel 43, we see the promise that the glory of the Lord will return. Yeshua opened the door for us, and we should seek to enter in with all our hearts (John 17:24–26). Many things will take place in these end times, but we are to enter into the secret place of the Most High God, close the doors behind us, and hide in Him (Psalm 91:1–2; Isaiah 26:20). Our refuge will be in the secret place of His presence, so we must know how to enter His presence and dwell there.
1 All Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB1995).