Spring
1996
The
Manifest Presence of God P-5
Walter Beuttler
"But let him that glories glory in this, that
he understands and knows Me, that I am the
LORD doing kindness, judgment, and righteousness
in the earth; for in these I delight, says the
LORD" Jer 9:24.
The Lord delights in those who know and understand Him. This
speaks of a humble, grateful appreciation. I can relate to
this through an experience with my daughter.
I had just returned from a ministry trip to South America,
and I usually brought a special present for my daughter. Because
I had not done so this time, I said to her, "I am so
sorry that I do not have something special for you."
She responded, "Daddy, that's all right, you are my best
present and the nicest daddy I ever had." This, all the
more caused me to want to buy something very special for her.
The Lord desires us to glory about Him in simplicity and
in gratefulness. He evidently agrees with the statement, "joys
not shared are only half enjoyed." The Lord loves to
enter into our joys, and when we glory about Him, His heart
is touched, as He has feelings too.
God has an emotional nature, and He expresses emotions. He
has a social nature, and He enjoys our fellowship and rejoices
with us, for His Word tells us, "In these things I delight,
saith the Lord."
Some years ago, I attended a Bible Study. At the end, the
pastor asked me to close in prayer. I was so filled with the
Spirit of rejoicing that I was unable to pray or dismiss the
meeting; all I could do was shout, "Hallelujah."
The Spirit of this worship spread over the people and almost
everyone began to praise the Lord.
When it again became quiet, there was a prophetic message
which said, "God is pouring out His spirit of rejoicing
upon His people because one who had been a sinner has repented,
and there is so much joy in heaven that the Lord is sharing
this with His people so that He and they may rejoice together."
When I was a student in Bible School, I was talking to the
Superintendent of the Denomination to which I belonged. His
son came into the room and asked, "what will you do when
you leave?" I had no home, as my family lived in Germany,
and could only reply, "I do not know." Then he asked
what ministry I thought I would have. Again, I could only
say, "I do not know."
Then he said, "I am glad I am not like you. I know people
at the top, and I will have a big church." When he left
the room, he slammed the door and it felt like a shot from
a gun going through my heart. It really hurt because I had
nowhere to go. Later, I dropped to my knees and prayed a very
simple prayer, "Father, did you hear what he said?"
As I prayed this, in a flash of revelation, the Lord quickened
these thoughts to me. "It is true that he knows people
at the top. But it is also true that I am your Father, and
that I am at the top of all those who are at the top. And,
I am your personal superintendent." I lifted my hands
and said, "Father, thank you for being who you are, this
day I acknowledge you as my personal superintendent."
Years later, while in Rio De Janeiro, I was told that this
fellow was working as a butcher, and he did not have the big
church he thought he would have.
God responds to simple sincerity. In New Guinea, they know
how to touch the heart of the Lord. In very poor English,
they pray, "Oh, papa God, you nice fellow upstairs. Me
no any good but you nice papa God." The Lord responded
to the sincerity of their heart and the simplicity of their
prayer.
For example, when I was a youngster in Germany, I had always
desired to see the Azore Islands. I do not know why, but they
had captured my boyhood imagination. Many years later, I had
made many trips to Europe, but never by way of the Azores,
as only first class passengers were routed this way. I was
to go to Rome, so I laid my itinerary before the Lord. I felt
His witness that I was to go, so I arranged my ticket.
A short time before I left, I noticed in the newspaper that
the airlines were routing Tourist Class travel to Europe by
way of the Azores. I thought, how often I have wanted to stop
at the Azores and now it is possible. Yet I felt that I was
in the will of God with the route I had already chosen. I
prayed as I had before. I said, "Father, did you by any
chance read this newspaper article about the Azores?"
Some would say this is foolish, as God knows everything and
does not need to read the newspaper to find out. I know this
very well. But I also know that the Lord hears and responds
when I come to Him in this simple, practical way. This speaks
of relationship, and of intimacy.
I added to my prayer, "Father, I have wanted to go that
way for so long, and now I am going the other way. I just
wonder what you think about this." The Lord responded,
not in words, but a witness as though He were saying, "If
you would like to change your route, I have no objections."
I just knew I had His permission and blessing to change, so
I did.
When I returned to the school in the Fall, I told the students
about this, because I was really pleased. I thought God was
so considerate in allowing me to change my route. It is amazing
what God will do for us. When we respect His wishes, He will
have regard for ours.
As soon as I had finished telling the students about this,
a girl gave an utterance in tongues and one of the fellows
interpreted it. The word said, "God is pleased when He
sees that He can please His children. For He loves to please
His own and He rejoices in their pleasure." When God
saw that I was happy, then He was happy.
"But let him that glorieth glory in this, that
he understandeth and knoweth Me ... for in these
things I delight, saith the LORD" Jer 9:24.
One time I was going to Africa, and I looked at the route
I would be taking and noticed Thebes on the Nile River in
Egypt. I thought it would be nice to see the ancient ruins
of Thebes and the temple of Karnak with its famous columns.
I knew that I had nothing to do there, but as I looked at
my map, I received a witness. The Lord quickened to me that
I could stop at Thebes.
It was such a thrill to see the fulfillment of prophecy there.
The plain where this powerful, beautiful city once stood was
now just a vast open area. After I returned home, one of the
teachers said to me, "What did you see?" I said,
"There was nothing left on the west side of the Nile
where the main part of the city stood."
He then told me that he had wondered why I wanted to stop
there, as he knew I would not see anything. I responded that
I had seen much. I knew that this was where this great city
was located, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient
world. God had said that He would remove it from the earth.
What I saw was the tremendous power of Almighty God, the
veracity of His word of prophecy, that He could obliterate
such a huge city. I saw the might of God in an empty place.
"At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank
Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because Thou hast hid these things from the
wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto
babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good
in Thy sight" Matt 11:25-26.
Notice that the Lord deliberately withholds some truths from
those who are "wise and prudent." This is not necessarily
those who are educated, or knowledgeable. Rather, this refers
to those who feel that they know it all. The problem with
them is that they do not know enough to know that they do
not know. Thus, they are unteachable.
The Lord hides the precious, special things from these, such
as the knowledge of His presence. The babes to whom He reveals
these things are those who are simple, humble, lowly, and
willing to learn. Their spirits are open to His manifest presence.
The Word tells us, "No one can come to Me unless the
Father who has sent Me draw him" John 6:44a. Due to sin,
there is no desire for God in the fallen human nature. Whenever
a person has an interest in God, it is due to the activity
of the Spirit of God.
If God gives us a hunger for Himself, this desire has been
produced by the Spirit of God, because that for which we hunger
is capable of being attained. The very hunger that we have
for more of God is not only God's call to get us to move in
that direction, but it is also the guarantee that we can attain
to that for which we hunger - if we will keep following in
the direction of the hunger.
The attitude of heart that qualifies us is that we become
as a "babe." When a baby becomes hungry, it manifests
that hunger by crying. The child cries and is fed by the mother.
The baby does not ask for a chemical analysis of what it is
being fed. There is something within that corresponds to the
hunger, and the child just eats. But if an attempt is made
to feed mustard to the baby, he will no longer eat. There
is something there that does not appeal.
So it is spiritually. The Lord gives us a hunger and we may
not know what we are hungry for, except that we have a sense
of need and desire something from God. We may hear a message
with truth that we have never heard. Though we do not understand
it, within us, it is as with the baby. We eat and feel satisfied.
We know this is a work of the Holy Spirit because we feel
His witness and we feel good. We do not know how we know,
we just know that we know.
So also, when an attempt is made to feed something to us
that is not right, the witness is lacking and it does not
set right within. We know that we should not partake.
Jesus said that except we become as children, we cannot enter
the Kingdom. This is because we are moving beyond our capacity
to understand. Thus the Lord releases the deeper things, only
where there is this child like faith.
It is only in this child like faith that we are able to come
to the Lord and express our love and appreciation for Him,
even as my daughter expressed her appreciation for me, when
I returned home without a present for her.