"Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." (Ps 31:19-20, KJV) The presence of God! Whatever does it mean? What does it mean to be in the presence of God? What does it mean to stand in the presence of God? What does it imply to experience the manifestation of God's presence? What would it mean to desire His presence? We all know that God is omni-present. In other words, His presence is everywhere. As a matter of fact, nobody puts it better than the Psalmist who said: "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your 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." (Psa 139:7-10) If this is true, if the presence of God is everywhere... why then do we speak of the presence of God as if to say that it could be absent in some places. Why do we need to seek it if it is everywhere? Why does the Bible speak of departing from the presence of God as if to imply that when we leave His presence, we meet His absence (Jonah 1:3). This must be a true mystery and worthy of our attention. Of a truth, it is a mystery but not one beyond our grasp. We must not succumb to assumptions. We must truly know; and to know we must turn back to the scriptures. To put it simply without fear of contradiction, we can say that the presence of God refers to the manifestation of God in such a way that it is felt wholly - spiritually, emotionally and physically. The "presence" of God connotes some degree of visibility; but this visibility does not imply that we physically see God; it rather serves to lay bare the fact that God's glory becomes so greatly manifested that its effects are felt physically. There is a difference between saying “God is everywhere,” and saying “God is here.” To be in the presence of God is to become aware and conscious of this manifestation. It also means to live in constant assurance of God's presence. We are in God's presence everywhere we are, but we don't often feel that way, nor do we often realize that. But when that presence becomes so real and greatly manifested it becomes an entirely different story. .
The Bible says that even the hills melt when that happens ( Psa 97:5, Isa 64:3) - meaning that even the greatest problems lose their weight. Nothing remains significant when exposed to the overwhelming glory of God's presence. When God chooses to make real His presence such that it is felt by all, it carries with it so much more than we can express in writing. On the other hand, when we live in close affinity to God's glory, we enjoy a close personal relationship with God: the ultimate father-child relationship where we can relate and communicate with God every time. That is being in God's presence. This is the standard that God expects of every of His children and this is the level we must all strive to reach. The presence of God does not refer to the mere physical or spiritual appearing of God. It does not refer to the omni-presence of God. The presence of God is a dimension of fellowship.