The Presence of God, actually!

The presence of God is the central fact of Christianity. At the heart of the Christian message is God Himself waiting for His redeemed children to push in to conscious awareness of His presence. That type of Christianity which happens now to be the vogue knows this Presence only in theory. It fails to stress the Christian's privilege of present realization. According to its teachings we are in the presence of God positionally, and nothing is said about the need to experience that Presence actually. We are satisfied to rest in our judicial possessions
and, for the most part, we bother ourselves very little about the absence of personal experience.
... A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), The Pursuit of God [1948],
Christian Publications, 1982, p. 35

The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other
times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
--1 Samuel 3:10-11 (NIV)

Amen. His presence and Knowing His Voice.

What exactly sustained these saints down through the centuries? It was not head knowledge of the Word ( although they loved the Word of God and would die in attempts to spread it) It was not dogma nor doctrines, no, it was the very reality of God in their lives. These fragrant saints had encountered the Living God and it had ruined them for this world. Nothing else mattered but loving and serving God, indeed they loved the Lord more than life itself. This is the ” Church,” that the gates of hell will not and cannot prevail against.

This army of saints that have marched down through the ages continue to march upon their knees and with their hands raised high to a God that they ” know.” This is the intimate word ” know.” We believe in our hearts and we confess with our mouths. The knowledge of God does not reside in the head. I listen to a symphony with my ears. I see the sunrise with my eyes. I smell the roses with my nose and so it is, I know Jesus in my heart. There is an ” inner witness,” of the Holy Spirit that is undefined. I simply know as I am known. I love because I am loved. I forgive because I am forgiven. I demand no payment because my debt was fogiven me. My reality, my walk with Jesus, begins and ends with the reality of who He is and how He has revealed Himself to me. Once tasted, all other ” food,” is foul tasting. As the old song say ” Cast your eyes upon Jesus, look full into His wonderful face, and the things of earth become strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”