Page 28 - May 2026 - Truth & Tidings

them and in them (Joh 14:17; 16:7), so we our prayer, our power, our peace and
have God’s promise of His eternal pres- our consciousness of the presence of God
ence with us. in our lives.
God’s Principles God’s Presence
The OT example of the nation of Israel We return to the prophecy of Ezekiel.
clearly demonstrates that the promise of As he sat in exile, how he must have felt
the Lord’s presence is not unconditional. encouraged by the Word of the Lord that
He is omnipresent and omniscient and came to him to know that the now desolate
was always aware of their behaviour and Jerusalem would bear a new name. He
recurring unfaithfulness to Him. Israel’s was given a vision of the glory that would
enjoyment of the Lord as His peculiar trea- endow the city and temple; but more than
sure depended on their obedience to the
commandments of the covenant made at that, the crowning joy would be the new
Mount Sinai (Exo 19:5). While the Church name, Jehovah Shammah, “The LORD
has a different relationship to God, the is there.” That is the future for Israel in
requirement for obedience to His Word is this world, as the great Kingdom, still
no different today in order for us to enjoy yet future, rolls through its covenanted
His presence in our lives individually or millennial glory and the ultimate eternal
collectively. This is seen in the various NT blessing of creation.
epistles, where instruction is set out for For us today, we need to grasp two very
the Christian, covering all ages, genders, important and challenging thoughts. First,
offices and service. If we are to know the every believer is presently indwelt by
Lord’s presence, we must observe and the Spirit of God, a divine presence. Paul
conform to the conduct that God expects writes, “Know ye not that your body is
of His children. Peter writes, “As obedi- the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in
ent children … as he which hath called you?” (1Co 6:19). That profound fact can-
you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of not be changed and ought to search our
conversation (1Pe 1:14-15). hearts as we grasp the dignity of the be-
God’s Punishment liever, soul and body, as a living sanctuary
King Saul’s disobedience to the com- where the Spirit of God dwells. Second,
mandment of the Lord resulted in the we can grieve the indwelling Spirit of God
loss of the Lord’s presence (1Sa 16:14). (Eph 4:30) by our behaviour with bitter-
Similarly, in the days of Samuel, it was ness, wrath, anger, clamour (outcry), evil
the daughter-in-law of old Eli who, whilst speaking, malice (v31). These things should
dying in childbirth, named her newborn be put away from us, and the indwelling
son Ichabod, meaning, “The glory has Spirit allowed to manifest the presence of
departed from Israel.” She lamented over the Lord in us, by the fruit of the Spirit –
news that the ark of the Lord was forfeit, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
and that her father-in-law and husband goodness, faith, meekness, temperance”
had both died. Like the Psalmist, if we (Gal 5:22). That which by grace is our state
regard iniquity in our hearts, He will not positionally will be manifest conditionally
hear (Psa 66:18). Our failure will hinder to the glory of God.

156 TRUTH kTidings May 2026