Do you ever feel that God is absent from you? None of us ever likes to admit there are times when we have a hard time finding God. The truth is that, even in the most saintly people, there are sometimes vacant places in the heart when God seems far away. All of us like to know where God is at all times. In these troubled and threatening times, our restless hearts keep looking for  some evidence that God is still in control of the world.

For Israel, Mount Sinai was God's address. It was where the people of Israel could find God. The cloud which had symbolized God's presence and protection during their exodus hovered over the mountain top. Occasionally they even heard God's voice behind the cloud. But the mountain was not God's permanent home.  During their final months at Mount Sinai, the Israelites built the first Church – the tabernacle. It was God's home on earth and the place of personal encounter where worshipers could meet with God.  It was filled with God's glory, the overpowering sense of His presence."Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle."Exodus 40:34.  From this point forward,  God would live with His people wherever they could be found.

So why does God sometimes seem so far away? There are four good reasons:

1. A part of the reason God seems far removed from our circumstances and hurts is because of who He is.   He said,"My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways"(Isaiah 55:8).  In other words, God is much larger than our concepts and our understanding of doctrine and righteousness. He is bigger than our church or denomination.

2. At other times, God seems absent because of who we are.  We are rebellious, selfish, and contrary. There are periods when our prayers, even our churches and  our worship, are so full of ourselves we display our wants and feelings, and leave  no room for God.

3. God often seems absent because of our affluence, apathy, and comfort. We become so comfortable we simply don't need God as much as those who are suffering or those enduring persecution or oppression.

4. God often seems absent to us because there are frankly some places God will not go. This can be illustrated from God's Word. The tabernacle was always placed in the center of the camp. Inside the tabernacle the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies.  The Ark had an incredible power associated with it. In fact, it was generally assumed that Israel was invulnerable in military battles because of the Ark's presence. At one time something bad happened. Eli was the high priest and his two sons were to assume his priestly duties when he became unable to function as high priest. The two sons, however; had lost personal touch with God and ignored the standards of holiness imposed upon the priests. Israel was at war with the Philistines and Eli's sons carried the Ark of the Covenant onto the battle ground. The two sons were killed, Israel was defeated, and the Ark was taken by the enemy. Eli himself dropped dead from the news. The whole tragic thing occasioned the naming of a baby with on of the most horrible names ever given to a child: Ichabod.  For Israel, the glory of the Lord was his presence, symbolized by the Ark of the Covenant. The truth is that God's glory,  had temporarily departed when the Ark was removed from the tabernacle. His presence didn't leave because the Ark had been taken, but because of the sin of His  people.  It is important to know that the absent glory did not reveal an absent God. Even when the sin of His people rendered them spiritual empty, God was never absent. He never abandons His people!

God was and is still ready to display His power.  He is simply searching for those who will meet His conditions. Those conditions are that worship must be placed in the center of all that we do. Our worship, and our praise must be a joyful experience because the glory of the Lord is here among us.

There is something we need to understand about joy.  You don't just decide to be joyful, rather it is a fitting response to the actions of someone else.  Joy is as spontaneous as the "Ah!" that comes from our lips when we see a rocket explode during a fireworks display. Joy is as sudden as the stillness that comes over us when we stand on the mountain summit and look across a valley.  Joy is as unexpected as the tears that come to our eyes when we hold our child for the first time.

Are you experiencing the presence of God in your life and enjoying His glory?  Don't miss His presence because of who He is, or because of who you are, or because you feel too comfortable to need Him, or because of sin in your life.  To be in God's presence is to put ourselves where joy, real spontaneous joy, is possible.