Walking in the Lord’s Presence, Having His Smile, and Having God with us (Emmanuel)

Abraham was a person living in the presence of God, walking before the Lord; he didn’t need to “fast and pray” to seek the will of God concerning his son’s marriage but simply sent his oldest servant to find a wife for Isaac, being assured that God is with him and He will provide (see Gen. 24). Because Abraham walked in the Lord’s presence and was one with Him, whatever he did was God’s will and according to His economy.

In our Christian life, we need to walk with God, care for His presence, and do everything in oneness with God. The main reason we are defeated in our Christian life is because we don’t have the Lord’s presence with us practically.

When we have the Lord’s smile when God is Emmanuel to us, we live in his presence and we are full of joy. Our trust will be not in ourselves or in what we can do but in the Lord’s doing in us and through us.

Abraham is such a pattern to us: he sent his oldest servant, the most trusted servant in his house, to find a wife for his son Isaac from his house, and he was convinced that God will send his angel before him to show him the right person. Abraham’s servant followed his pattern and trusted in God, praying in a simple way that God would show him who is the one – and the Lord brought Rebekah to him.

Abraham didn’t charge his oldest servant to be faithful to him, to be honest, or to do a good work – he charged his servant by the Lord, bringing him deep into the Lord (see Gen. 24:2-3, 9, 40-41).

We need to be those who enjoy God’s presence and live in God’s presence, treasuring God’s presence and doing everything to have His smile. If we have God’s presence we have everything; if we lose God’s presence, we lose everything. We want to have the Lord’s smile in this age and His reward in the next age. May we open to the Lord and tell Him from the bottom of our heart,

Lord, make us persons near to Your heart. Make us persons according to Your heart, those who are a duplication of Your heart. We want to have Your presence to a full extent for the sake of Your economy! We treasure Your smile and we love to be, live, walk, move, and do everything in Your presence!

Walking in the Lord’s Presence and Having His Smile

The criterion for every matter in our Christian life and in the church life is not right or wrong, good or bad, or even “spiritual” or “unspiritual”. The criterion for everything is God’s presence. We need to care for the Lord’s presence – His presence means everything to us. What matters right now is not my good opinion or way of living but, Do I have the Lord’s presence?

In the time of Joshua, the people of Israel defeated the large city of Jericho because the Lord’s presence was with them; but because they didn’t have the Lord’s presence, they were defeated by the small city of Ai. The footnote 1 in the Recovery Version for Joshua 7:4 says,

The secret of Israel’s defeat at Ai was that they had lost God’s presence and were no longer one with God. After this defeat Joshua learned the lesson of staying with the Lord before the Ark (v. 6a). Eventually, the Lord came in to speak to him and to tell him what to do (vv. 10-15).

The spiritual lesson to be learned from this account is that we, the people of God, should always be one with our God, who is not only among us but also in us, making us men with God — God-men. As God-men, we should practice being one with the Lord, walking with Him, living with Him, and having our entire being with Him (Rom. 8:4; 2 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 5:16, 25).

This is the way to walk as a Christian, to fight as a child of God, and to build up the Body of Christ. If we have the Lord’s presence, we have wisdom, insight, foresight, and the inner knowledge concerning things. The Lord’s presence is everything to us.

What makes the genuine Christians distinct from all the other people on earth is the presence of God. As Moses prayed in Exo. 33 we need to tell the Lord, May Your presence be with us and go with us.

God’s presence is the “map” for our Christian life (see John 14:6 and note 1; Heb. 11:8 and note), and when we know God’s heart and are near to His heart we know God’s presence to the fullest extent.

Most believers love the Lord, but do they love His presence? When we were young we loved our parents very much, but sometimes we didn’t love their presence – since we were doing some things they were not happy with. We need to have the Lord’s presence with us and treasure His presence.

If we don’t have His smile, we need to confess anything that hinders our fellowship with Him, repent, turn our heart to the Lord, and exercise our spirit to touch Him again.

The Lord’s Presence is Emmanuel – God with Us

In a very practical way, the Lord’s presence is Emmanuel, God with us. 700 years before the Lord Jesus was born, Isaiah prophesied that a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call His name, Emmanuel (Isa. 7:14). God called this child Jesus (Jehovah our Savior), but men called Him Emmanuel (God with us). Jesus is God with us!

In order for us to experience the dispensing of the Triune God into our tripartite being we need to be those living in His presence as God with us. Where is the Lord right now? He is with our spirit – our spirit is the land of Immanuel, the good land, where the all-inclusive Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit is.

In the church we have Emmanuel – whenever we gather into His name, He is with us (Matt. 18:20). The Lord today is with our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), and He is in our midst when we meet. When we go out to preach the gospel, He is with us until the consummation of the age (Matt. 28:20).

The Lord Jesus today is Emmanuel, and He is the Spirit of reality with our spirit. He is not a distant God in heavens but a real practical Jesus with our spirit. We need to walk, speak, and do all things with Emmanuel, God’s presence with us.

Actually, God’s presence in us should change the way we live, walk, move, and speak. We need to have a consciousness of His presence. When we live one with the Lord in His presence in this way, we together become a great corporate Emmanuel consummating in the New Jerusalem, which is the totality of Emmanuel – God with man!

May we not walk like the rest do, in the vanity of their mind and according to the lusts of their flesh; may we walk in the Lord’s presence, seeking to have His smile, and being one with the Lord in everything we do and say.

Being Faithful in Responsibility and Knowing the Lord’s Will

Abraham walked in the Lord’s presence and he was one with the Lord when he sent his servant to get a wife for his son Isaac. His servant was faithful in the responsibility entrusted to him by his master (see Gen. 24:5, 9, 33, 54, 56), and God was with him.

Abraham’s servant followed in his footsteps in trusting in the Lord for his responsibility and in praying to God for what he was about to do. He prayed to the Lord in a clear way and simple way, humbling himself before the Lord (Gen. 24:12-14, 21, 42). Everyone who truly believes in God is simple and clear, and he trusts in God for his responsibility.

Because Abraham’s servant trusted in God and prayed to Him, God brought Rebekah to him right away. Abraham’s servant knew the Lord’s will by looking for His leading in the environment (Gen. 24:13-21, 26-2, 48-49).

God leads us both inwardly by the sense of life and peace, and outwardly through the environment. Nothing that happens to us or around us is accidental; everything is ordained by God to perfect us and cause us to grow in faith.

May we be those who look to the Lord, trust in Him, pray in a simple and clear way, humble ourselves before the Lord, and seek to be one with Him in the responsibility He entrusts us. May we look to the Lord and be aware of what He is doing around us and in us so that we would know His will by looking at the environment also.

Lord Jesus, Your presence is everything to us. Keep us in the land of Emmanuel in our spirit enjoying You as the life-giving Spirit with our spirit. May Your presence be with us as we go to work, travel, speak to others, and do everything. Make us so simple and pure in heart as we pursue You and seek to be one with You. Gain many in the local churches all around the world that live in Your presence and have Your smile. Gain the corporate Emmanuel, the “God with us” among men today! Hallelujah, God is with us! Jesus is God! Jesus is God with us!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Genesis (msg. 60), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (2), week 12 / msg 12, A Practical Living in Oneness with the Lord and a Type of Christ Marrying the Church.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Lord Jesus, I long in Thy presence to live, / From morning to evening my one world Thou art; / O let not my heart be contented or rest / When loving or seeking what with Thee doth part. (Hymn on Living in God’s Presence)
  # Thou art also called “Emmanuel”; / ”God with us” Thou cam’st to be; / God in grace is wholly mingled / With our own humanity. / God in flesh is manifested, / Full of grace and truth therein; / We have seen in Thee God’s glory, / And in faith partake of Him. (Hymns #68 by W. Lee)
  # Look! God’s tabernacle now is with the saints; / Emmanuel—God with us, we proclaim. / Everything is done, so let His children come; / Christ and the church—where God and man are one! (Hymns #1222)
  # Nothing’s quite so precious / As Jesus in my spirit. / He takes away the care / And fills me with His peace. / He never leaves me, / E’en as the days grow weary. / His presence goes with me. / My soul delights to hide in His arms. (New song on the Lord with us)