Winter 1992

Understanding His Manifest Presence
Taken from a message by
Walter H. Beuttler

"Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall
not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven
and earth? saith the Lord" Jeremiah 23:24.

This term, "The Manifest Presence of the Lord" refers to a recognizable sense of the Presence of the Lord, which is made known to us through one or more of our five physical senses. This condition of our being able to experience the "Manifest Presence" of the Lord is a by-product of our faithfulness in setting apart time to "Wait upon the Lord."

As we "Wait upon the Lord," there will develop within us the ability, or the sensitivity to recognize and respond to His presence. As we persevere in these times of "Waiting," we will learn the secret of His Manifest Presence. Regardless of how we may feel while we are waiting, we must base our "Waiting upon Him" on this unconditional fact: GOD IS PRESENT. We must accept the fact of the certainty of His Presence with us as being more real than any conscious awareness of His Presence that we may feel, although both are essential.

"Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall
I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven,
thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou
art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there
shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold
me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me;
even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the
darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth
as the day: the darkness and the light are both
alike to thee" Psalm 139:7-12.

It is only AFTER we have been firmly rooted in the FACT of His Presence(Omnipresence), that the Lord can give us the CONSCIOUSNESS of His Presence (Manifest presence). Otherwise, we may become overly dependent upon Him for the experience of His Conscious Presence.

When the Lord reveals His Manifest Presence to us, He has a purpose in mind. He often desires to come and make His presence known to us. As we respond to this Presence, He will reveal Himself to us in one of many ways. It may be a special time for intimate fellowship with Him. Or, it may be in the form of a burden for prayer, intercession, or spiritual warfare. He may begin to unfold to us a spiritual truth, or give us a special understanding in His Word. There are many different ways in which the Lord may reveal Himself.

Our ability to understand what the Lord intends when He reveals His Manifest Presence to us is developed through practice. It is cultivated by our devotion and obedience to His promptings. We must learn to recognize when the Lord comes to us, and then, when the purpose for which He came has been accomplished. In respect to His Manifest Presence, we must be careful to not offend Him by not responding to His coming, or by prematurely leaving the place of His Presence.

Leaving His Presence prior to His being finished with us is detrimental to the development of our spiritual sensitivity. At times, we may not be as careful as we ought, but we should remember that the Holy Spirit has feelings, and that He can be grieved. He is not intrusive, neither will He force Himself upon us. Our Lord greatly appreciates being appreciated. He will only come when and where He feels welcome.

The Spirit will often pray through us in ways we do not understand. We may not know the need in our lives, or in the lives of others. In His foreknowledge, the Lord provides for this. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" Romans 8:26.

Therefore the Holy Spirit, knowing the will of the Father, prays through us, giving us a burden which corresponds to the need, which only He understands. We may become sad, happy, full of joy or expectation, during this process of the moving of the Holy Spirit as He expresses Himself through us toward the need. At times, He may cause us to understand, as we continue to "Wait upon Him." However, our "knowing" may only serve to hinder the efficient work of the Spirit of God in praying through us.

When the Holy Spirit comes to us with a burden, or in a heavy Presence, care must then be exercised in responding to Him. If we arerightly involved in some activity, such as our employment, or responsibilities that cannot be postponed, this "Presence" will subside and then abide with us, until we are free to come apart and "Wait Upon Him." However, if we do not wish to respond to His coming, the Lord will be grieved, and we will loose this special relationship to His Manifest Presence.

We will only be free to stop our time of "Waiting in His Presence when His Presence begins to lift, a song commences to rise within, or a peace is felt; then He will withdraw until a future time. "And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place" Gen 18:33.

Gradually, as our spirit is poised toward the Lord in absolute silence, we will begin to find this "secret place" that is close to the heart of God. His desire for us is contained and moves within this poised spirit. Words or expression will only serve to interrupt our communion with God.

As we wait upon Him in this attitude of spirit, His manifest Presence will increasingly become real and meaningful to us.