William Doyle reflects on the constant presence of God
Divine Immanence is a truth stated throughout Christian Scripture; God dwells in His creation and is indivisibly present in all His works. This is not meant to imply Pantheism, which describes God as the sum of all created things, nature and God being identical. This term does not do justice to the glory of the incorruptible Deity.
Infinite presence
The Infinite Presence is a fact; God is here. It is His will that we get to know Him, the One true God, and this is achieved through the merits of Jesus the Christ. God who made the world is not far from us. He expresses Himself through His Spirit and what we know as personality. He communicates with us through the avenues of the mind, our will and our emotions, yet it is essentially through the spirit that we sense Him. Those with the prophetic gifts describe this experience as locutions.
When personality is ascribed to God this often presents a problem to the human mind; it is not easy to grasp, but the Christian teachings insist that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are Persons, all of whom have a personality. The human attributes of mind, emotion, will and freedom are attributed to the Godhead, though not in the limiting way of our human nature and since no one can wholly know God, our part in this extraordinary relationship is to make ourselves available, to have a burning desire, seeking and thirsting after Him.
Spiritual leadership
Religion impacts our lives, yet I sense that true spirituality is waning in our society. There is a lack of suffering for the Lord. That may seem a strange thing to say, but any spiritual work that makes an impact or has lasting influence, is generally born of love for the Lord, sacrifice, suffering and much prayer. A more intimate knowledge of the Shepherd and sound biblical exposition is required to feed the minds of the people if there is to be a revival, a fire of love from the pews and a joyful desire to serve the Holy Family.
All spiritual leaders whatever their denomination, have a solemn obligation to lead people to Jesus Christ, the living Lord and to do so in a spirit of love. Ministers of the Gospel have a duty to help Church members understand clearly what it cost Jesus to live among men; to show His own perfect sacrifice in our stead and His death to atone for our sins. Also to show His glorious Resurrection, to assure us of His Divine power and His majestic Ascension to the highest heaven. The Holy One of God is deserving of our praise. He put His Spirit within us so that we can recognize Him and respond to His love. How much longer shall men resist His Spirit?
Childlike faith
A body cannot live without a heart. Christ’s Spirit is the heart of the Church on earth. It is the sweet manna from heaven nourishing our souls. Happy are those who open their hearts to His Spirit and blessed are those who believe in Him. Yet is not this generation guilty of apostasy? Is it not true that some of our spiritual leaders question the fundamentals of the faith? We need to return to a simple, childlike faith in Jesus, have a belief in the angels and a greater trust in God.
The world is at spiritual crossroads, men need to decide if the holy words of God are real and what they are going to do about it. Are we as a society of intelligent, creative people going to place ourselves under the pastoral staff and banner of the Heavenly One or go our own way? History reveals the outcome of those nations who do. When prayer and the Fruit of the Spirit are absent in the minds of men and community, ominous clouds darken our doorstep and are made worse when faith, hope and sacrifice are missing. Who can deny that the light of the true knowledge of Christ is faint in the hearts of men?
Urgent need
There is an urgent need, in these days, for the human heart to turn to God and be enlightened by His Holy Spirit and show a genuine response to Him in worship, repentance and faith. God’s covenanted blessings, which include revelation to a true perception of divine realities, remains available, even in this highly advanced scientific age, but men have drawn away from God.
They no longer see creation in a holy way and the Gospel as the Word of God. Men are losing the desire and a longing for the blessed Christ to enter their hearts; many others are unaware that the Lord will return to renew all creation, bringing to fulfillment all He has taught.
Earnest heartfelt prayers are required and all Christians can contribute knowing that their prayers are powerful and effective (Jas. 5:16).