Many years ago, I remember watching the television at my parents house while I was home from college. A country music singer was being interviewed on a talk show. He was talking about something quite unusual…or so I thought. He was talking about the manifest presence of God. ..and how he went through a period of time when the presence had removed from him. He said he awoke one morning and the Presence that had become a part of his daily awareness of God, was missing. He began wrestling with God and begged for His presence to return. The next morning, when he awoke, he stated that the Presence of God had returned.
At the time, I had no idea what he was talking about, although I had received Christ and was attending church and studying the Bible. I wondered if he was talking about some sort of “emotional thing” but eventually I put the thoughts aside and chalked it up to “something weird.” But some of the question stayed with me.
It was perhaps ten years later, that I had my first encounter with that Presence, with more experiences to follow. In those first days of encounter, I was startled, sometimes afraid, sometimes exhilarated. It was in those days, that I began to know with certainty that God Knew Me. The first encounter was strange indeed . The power swept over me in a church service and knocked me over into my chair. I felt surges of electricity coursing through my body. I was shaking uncontrollably and became “drunk” under that power. Just as Peter described an encounter with God on the day of Pentecost, “these men are not drunk as you suppose.” I could have described my own state similarly..I was sober yet “drunk.” I was having an encounter with the Living God of whom I had been seeking.
The 1990’s were full of Revivals and Renewals and the Lord manifested His presence to many. Sometimes however, I found myself complaining a bit at the strangeness of it all. Why did I shake so? Why did I vibrate? What was the point? I came to understand the roots of historical Revivals and Great Awakenings that contained these manifestations, even the origins of Christian sects like the Shakers and the Quakers but I saw little sense of it all. I even told the Lord, somewhat tongue in cheek, that no one was going to be saved because I VIBRATED in front of them. He did not seem to care about my opinions.
One day, I was playing my stereo too loudly as usual (even to the extent of blowing out the bass on occasion. :-)) The Lord’s presence came over me and I heard “Look at your stereo speaker. Why is it vibrating?” I stared at the shaking stereo speaker and thought “It’s vibrating because the frequency is too great for it.” It was in that moment that I understood why I shook and vibrated when His presence manifested either in church or at home in my prayer closet. His frequency was too much for my earthly body.
Back when I was a student and knew nothing of such things, I considered these type of supernatural events must be rare. Now I think just the opposite. The Presence of God is not a rare event…on the contrary, it is available to anyone who wants to know Him, He wants to teach us and help us to know Him. His manifest Presence is available to any who will seek. And that is one of His promises. If you will seek, you will find.