The Gift of God’s Presence
One night a dear man named Robert came into the Christian bookstore in which I was working. Full of energy and joy, Robert shared how he met Jesus Face-to-face in a vision as he was crying out to God and grieving the sudden death of his beloved wife. He confessed that he had been a Christian for more than 30 years before he “met” Jesus individually and began to understand what it means to have a personal relationship with God.
Robert delighted us with story after story of his encounters with Jesus. There was a gift-wrapped bag on the counter that sent him back to one such encounter. He had a vision one day of Jesus presenting him with a beautifully wrapped gift.
“Wow LORD, what is this?”
“It is My gift to you. There is one for you each day.”
“Thank you, LORD, it’s beautiful,” Robert opened the gift and felt awash with the Love of God pouring through his spirit.
“Turn around Robert.”
Robert turned around, and there were presents, each one beautifully decorated for as far as his eye could see. “What are these LORD?”
“Those are the presents that you didn’t open: the days that you did not open My Gift. Robert, never let a day go by without opening My Gift to you.”
I was sharing Robert’s story in a class I was teaching, and a few days before, the LORD had given this journal entry to my dear friend, Jeanette:
“Jeanette, each day I have a gift, a blessing for you. It’s like a wrapped box. They are limitless, but you need to ask and expect to receive it daily. As with every gift you receive, remember to give Me thanks.”
Jeanette thanked the LORD for the particular revelation that He had for her that day. I love how the LORD will reinforce primary teachings through the witness and testimony of several people.
The gift Robert and Jeanette received was the gift of God’s Presence in their lives. As Jesus confirms, this Gift is for every believer. Robert and Jeanette are not unique in their ability to have these kinds of conversations or be shown vision. To be able to talk to and experience Jesus like this is not for only some people, it’s for everyone. You will see the Scriptural back-up for this as you continue reading stories from my blog articles.
This story reminded me of a conversation that I had with Jesus. I was meditating on Psalm 16:11 “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is the fullness of joy; In Your right hand, there are pleasures forever.”
“Jesus, please help me understand this verse, help me understand Your Presence.”
“Because you have accepted My Gift of salvation, you have the ability through My finished work on the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit to come directly in My Presence, to have direct communion and revelation with Me. Most believers go their entire lives without accessing this privilege. I AM your covering. I make you blameless and therefore qualify you to enter the Presence of the Father. Since most believers know and acknowledge only their imperfections, they think this is impossible. This cynical worldview is a false belief that attempts to nullify My Work on the cross. Never forget this privilege and seek My face daily so you can live the life that I have planned for you.”
Jesus has a gift for us every single day. I don’t want to miss a single personal God-encountering blessing. Do you?
How do we open this gift from God? Matthew 5:6 gives us a hint. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” To hunger and thirst for something is to have a deep desire for it. The first step is to want Jesus and His Presence sincerely. Robert was crying out to God in his grief. He was hungering and thirsting for comfort from the Comforter. God answered his prayer, and then he knew what he had been missing all along. His experience in his grief birthed a hunger and thirst for more encounters with Jesus.
Jesus already shared the next steps in Jeanette’s journal conversation: ask Him and expect Him to give it to you. Matthew 7:7 reminds us to “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” The LORD is commanding us to ask, seek, and knock, showing us the persistence of expectation. God wants us to believe Him for these promises.
God will answer this heartfelt prayer. The verse says God will open the door. If you hunger and thirst, ask and expect Him to commune with you, speak to you, show you something, give you an encounter, He will answer you. That’s an incredible truth. Then, as always, thank God for every gift of blessing.
You can learn how to encounter Jesus as Robert, Jeanette, and I did. Check out my Experience Jesus Book Series and my website for more information on how to encounter God personally. Experience Jesus — Patty Sadallah.