What does God’s presence feel like? And How do I recognize more of God’s presence in daily life?
I was born to Christian parents, and I don’t remember the moment I first gave my heart to Christ. So, I have been at this Christian thing for a long time.
Yet, it was not until I was in my thirties that I awoke to a deeper experience of God’s dynamic presence.
I had dedicated some time each morning to prayer, Scriptures, and an exercise I will share below, when I began to experience an internal kind of goose-bumpy feeling—but not the fear kind of goose-bumpy feeling.
It was immense peace and love. It felt like what the revivalist, Charles Finney, described as “liquid love.”
Now, I already knew God in salvation and the many gifts He had given me.
But with this new experience of “liquid love” being stirred in my heart, I was awakened to more of His presence.
What Does God’s Presence feel like?
God’s presence can be felt in a number of different ways.
God’s presence can feel like “liquid love.” It can feel like lightness or joy in your heart.
It can feel like a deep sense of “knowing” something; It can also feel like strength to face difficulties.
God’s presence can feel like something greater than yourself is at work in the situation.
When you begin to sense God’s presence, you may sense Him in different ways. However, God’s presence is always peace, love, and joy—never anxiety, fear, confusion, manipulation, or hate.
The Bible promises that our God will send us the “Comforter” (John 14:16 KJV).
So, His presence feels like the safety and comfort of home where we belong! He is our Creator, and His presence is our origin!
How Do I Recognized God’s Presence?
Of course, most people first experience God’s presence in a time of worship or a serene moment in nature.
But we can learn to recognize God’s presence, not only in church services and worship times, but also continually in everyday life.
Some people may intellectually know things about God from the Bible, but many have not learned to experience His love.
Many people have not learned to experience God except through loving ways in other people.
We were all made in the image of God, who is Spirit. So, we all have a desire deep within our hearts to experience our Creator Father’s love and presence!
Most people grow in recognizing God’s loving presence by practicing awareness of His presence every day.
First, You Must Be Born Again
In Eden, our first parents introduced sin into our lineage and broke the intimate relationship we had with our Creator Father–until Jesus came to restore access to that intimate relationship again.
The patriarchs felt God move upon them and through them. But because of Christ’s great sacrifice, we can have Him dwell inside our hearts by His Spirit!
The first step in growing in this deep relationship with God is, of course, to come by way of the door to the spiritual life–Jesus Christ.
When our personal human spirit is born again, we are reconnected with our Heavenly Creator Father’s Spirit and have the capacity to be more aware of His presence in our lives.
You have the capacity to feel God’s presence consistently at all times–times of joy and times of sorrow, times of contentment, and times of crisis.
In His presence is where we are truly at peace, at home.
Why Can’t I Feel God’s Presence?
We live in a sinful world that clouds our perception and awareness of God’s presence.
God has been trying to get our attention for ages. Our Lord wants us to respond to His love, and He wants us to turn our affections toward Him.
However, our hearts have been covered by a mountain of hurts, fears, unforgiveness, and disappointment through the years.
These form a wall that causes our inability to perceive His love for us.
He simply wants us to come to Him honestly and wholeheartedly so that He can heal all that prevents our closeness with Him.
Suggested Prayer
Dear Jesus, I ask your forgiveness for holding onto fear, hurt, disappointment, and unforgiveness, and I forgive those who have hurt and disappointed me. I loose all these things from my soul right now, and give them to you! Heal and restore my soul. Surround me with the Holy Spirit Comforter! Thank you for your blood that covers all my mistakes! I ask for excitement and expectation to learn more about your goodness! Thank You! Open my heart to feel your presence surround me today. Thank you!
3 Steps to Learn How to Feel God’s Presence?
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Certainly, because I learned to recognize and feel God’s presence, you can too!
I practiced the following exercise every day until I learned how to feel God’s presence easily, anytime, even without the Scripture verse.
However, if you are new to learning to recognize God’s presence, this exercise will help you learn to recognize God’s presence and experience Him more deeply.
Exercise to Learn What the Presence of God Feels Like
- First, Pick a Scripture Verse. The verse should be one that interests you and it should be simple for this exercise. Psalm 23 is perfect for this exercise.
- Second, Come Quietly and Read. Come to the Lord quietly and read a small portion or phrase. This is not the time to read rapidly from verse to verse. The purpose is to take each phrase in, and taste it, and digest it as you read.
- Third, Try to Sense the Words. You may want to take the portion of Scripture that has touched your heart and turn it into a prayer. Only after sensing something of the passage and having extracted a deeper sense of its meaning, then gently move to the next portion. Do not rush. Take as long as you need. Try to sense and “feel” the meaning. Try to sense the Lord’s Spirit behind the words on the page. Then you may want to turn what you sense into a simple prayer from your heart.
The Goal
The goal is not to get through a portion of Scripture quickly, but to experience the Lord in the words themselves. Although Bible study is important, this is not the time for study.
You may want to study what you glean later. The goal of this exercise is to recognize the Living Word in the written words themselves.
Then you may also experience what the Lord reveals to you in the passage! We will also learn to experience the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in His words (Eph 1:17).
Now, when the sense of the Lord’s presence lifts, move to the next phrase.
Little by little you will come to experience a very rich experience that flows from your heart directly to the Lord. You will experience His gentle presence and revelation from His Word. You will experience insights you have not thought about before.
Continue practicing in this way until you become aware of and sense your Lord’s presence.
You will sense peace, love, and joy. Anything else is NOT God!
7 Tips for How to Feel the Presence of God
Tip 1: You may practice this for minutes, days, or weeks before you experience His presence. Every person is different in the amount of awareness they have cultivated up until this point. Keep at it! (This journal may help with this!)
Tip 2: This is something that will not work if you are striving. If you have difficulty, relax and find peace. Breathe deeply and let all stress and striving go.
Tip 3: Our hearts must be at peace to become aware of His presence. It may take you one time to become aware of God’s presence through this exercise, or it may take many times.
Tip 4: Do not give up. Our human spirit has to learn how to be aware of Him and how to respond to His nature.
Tip 5: Repeat this exercise as often as you need to awaken your personal spirit to God’s Holy Spirit. This is the process I practiced many times before I came to a deeper awareness of my Lord’s presence. When your spirit awakens to deeper levels of God’s presence, all the pursuit will be worth the effort.
Tip 6: This type of exercise helps you grow in the gifts of the spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12. You may begin to hear your Lord speaking words to you, or you may see spiritual pictures. Maybe, you will feel joy or peaceful goosebumps. You may have thoughts drop into your mind that are not your own.
- What does God’s Voice Sound Like?
- How to Hear God’s Voice Clearly
- When You Have Trouble Quieting Your Mind read this.
Tip 7: Learning to feel the presence of God is not simply an academic exercise. You will need to learn to get in touch with your heart. Practicing the exercises on the free list of tips (25 Amazingly Simple Spiritual Growth Tips) will help you to awaken to more of God’s presence. You will become more aware of “how” God speaks and communicates to you in your heart.
Thanks for reading! Let me know you were blessed by these exercises!
A Guidebook for Knowing God More Intimately. Includes Prayers and Simple Step-by-Step Exercises That Teach You How to Feel God’s Presence and Hear God’s Voice
•If you’ve ever longed for a deeper connection with God but struggled to hear His voice or feel His presence, this book is for you!
•If you long for a deeper more intimate and satisfying relationship with God, this book is for you!
•If you want to grow spiritually and experience more of God’s presence, this book is for you!
Written by someone who has been in your shoes, How to Practice the Presence of God is a practical, step-by-step guidebook that will help you awaken to all that your heart hopes is possible.
With solid Biblical principles and present-day examples, this book will teach you how to grow in awareness of God’s presence in your everyday life.
In this practical & easy to read guidebook, you will:
✔️ Discover what God’s presence feels like and what His voice sounds like.
✔️ Learn how to practice His presence as easily as breathing!
✔️ Understand how to hear His voice clearly even in the noise of life.
✔️ Identify keys as to why you may not be hearing from God or feeling His presence.
✔️ Learn solid principles of spiritual growth.
✔️ And unlock the secrets to a deeper more intimate friendship with God!
In How to Practice the Presence of God, you’ll find simple exercises and practical tips that will help you develop a deeper, more meaningful friendship with God.
Whether you’re a seasoned Christian or a new believer, this guidebook is perfect for anyone who wants to experience the fullness of God’s presence in their life.
Order your copy now of How to Practice the Presence of God today and start practicing His presence every day!
Knowing God’s Presence Series of Articles
- The 3 Secrets to Knowing God
- The Surprising Secret to an Intimate Friendship With God
- Why You Might Not Be Aware of God’s Presence
- 7 Tips for When You Can’t Seem to Feel God’s Presence
Related Articles:
Wow this post has really really blessed me!!! There’s so much I can say but it would be too long. Thank you for this post, everything you mentioned resonated with me, you are truly a blessing, and a yielded vessel of the Lord. God bless you, your family and your ministry!!! ???????
Thank you so much, LaCheryl! I pray for you and your continued growth in knowing God’s love!
Hi Friends, Nice to know you from net.
The whole world is recovering from a global sickness and we are moving towards a new life with GOD.
Thank you for your inspiration and the uplifting words! I want to be spiritually awake to God’s Voice. I want to always hear his word and realize he’s always right! Keep up the good work Dr. Cynthia Johnson!
I had a awesome experience that God truly loves me. Four days ago I heard the Spirit of God speak a word to me, all I can say is it has changed my walk with God to something stronger and reassuring that he truly loves me and is with me and I’m a change women. Praise God now I hunger to hear him more.
Awesome! Life Changing! Thank you so much for sharing with us! This is why I do what I do! God bless you with a more intimate relationship with Him!
May God bless you, Debra, with more and more of Himself! Thank you for sharing! May He encourage and strengthen you on your journey!
Thank you,I really want that closeness with God.
God bless you friend! God rewards those who diligently seek Him! You will find that closeness!
I neet to feel the presence of God in my life.no matter what.for there is nothing good than to feel the presence of God on this earth.
I’m 17 years of age. Though I don’t really know much about acquiring the presence of God. Nevertheless, this post has really given me another zeal and zest to discover his presence. Thank you so much Ma’am.
You are so welcome! God bless you on your quest! If you seek for Him, you will find Him; for He is not far from you! In fact if you are born again He is inside you. Your search then becomes learning to recognize Him.
I have been soaking myself in God’s presence nore often like my aunt told me but what i want each time is spend with Him is to feep and experience Him in a deeper level and i am going to use this. Thank you so much. May God bless you wonderful woman of God❤️?
Hi
Reading this post, I found out my problem is strive, I am going to practice this until I experience His presence.
Thank you so much!
Yay!!!
I’ve spent 10 years of my education in a catholic school praying with the rosary and every day mass and maybe this is why I tend to be “tired” of connecting with God. Lately, I have been anxious of everything which greatly affects my daily life. Reading this post makes want to reconnect with God and be free from my worries. Thank you for this wonderful post, Ms. Cynthia. God Bless you and stay safe!
Thank you for sharing! It blesses me to hear you were encouraged to pursue God’s precious presence! He is the Prince of Peace!
May our God ever provide, protect, and preserve you and your family!
Thank you so much! Blessings to you as well 🙂
Thank you for the eye opening article. ?
What an inspiration,this article toght me how seek Gods presence may God protect you as you continue to gate us more closely to Gods Throan.
Dear Dr Cynthia
Thank you for this.
I tried it with the 23rd psalm but went too quickly and got to the end. Decided to split up the meditation into just a few words.
‘The Lord is’
I never got past this.
I just love saying it and thinking of Jesus. I could see the warrior, then the love, then the smile, the almighty, and on and on.
I’m still just at The Lord is.
Blessings to you
Sheila
Dear Sheila, You’re so welcome! That is exactly what happens to me. I just get caught up in a phrase and feel His love! Amazing God! Thanks for commenting! Blessings!
Please add my email address to your emails.
Dear Martha, We’ve got you added!
Do you perceive the presence of Jesus? If so, how do you know it is Jesus and not just…you?
https://lutherwasnotbornagaincom.wordpress.com/2022/05/22/dear-evangelical-christian-apologist-do-you-perceive-the-presence-of-jesus/
Hello,
I have been a Christian for 42+ years. In that time I have never experienced any kind of presence from God. I have never heard, seen, or felt anything from God. Told read your Bible and reflect on what you have read. Nothing, no verses ever jump out to me. God doesn’t say anything to me. God doesn’t show me anything. God. In every way that matters God is absent. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to be our guide. I have read, in the Bible, that when the Holy Spirit comes apon someone there is a definite feeling, like a whosh of energy. I have never experienced that. I am experienced nothing tangible from God. Just silence and absence. Nothing. It is heartbreaking, soul crushing, depressing. I am stuck, and I know that I can’t move forward without some kind of tangible response from God. Due to this neglect, what it feels and looks like, from God I feel like God has already condemned me to Hell. No wonder why some Christians commit suicide. I have thought about it. What’s the point in trying when God isn’t here. Does God know the damage that His silence, His absence, and Him never answering a prayer is to us. (actual answer). Thanks for giving me this opportunity to say my piece.
God bless you, in Jesus holy name, Amen.
Dear Kenneth, What an amazing gift of solid faith you have for believing in God all these years. For you, dear brother, believe even when you do not see. Great is your reward in heaven! Friend, God is pleased and proud of you! And because you are truly seeking more of Him, you will find more of Him. Unfortunately, we live in this fallen world and it can be difficult to sense in our personal spirits the Holy Spirit!
I would suggest a couple of things. First, give your disappointment to Him. Just tell him all about it and give it to Him. Then begin afresh with hope, wonder, and expectation. Start with small steps to train your personal spirit to become more aware of beautiful, peaceful, lovely things. God is in this! The most important first step I have found is to practice being grateful. I once took an entire year to find and document something I was grateful for each day. Practice seeing something good at least once a day to start. This is no small thing, friend. God is Good. And we all need to learn to notice the good every day! We learn and grow in discernment of God’s presence like a medical doctor learns to read X-rays. Truly we learn to awaken to His presence. We are created spirit by our Creator Father, so we have the capacity inside to experience Him. We just have to learn how that all works and awaken spiritually. Some of us start with what we may think of as small things, but we soon learn they are the most important things.
A good tip is to find churches who believe in the moving of the Holy Spirit and Gifts. When I have participated in these churches, I have grown in those areas as well. I will pray the Lord will direct your steps to the right place for you. Also, get the freebies I included with the article, they may help.
See also, https://www.drcynthiajohnson.com/what-is-the-baptism-gift-of-holy-spirit/
If you have trouble or want to discuss this further, you can contact me at drcynthiajohnson@gmail.com
God bless for nice article. I always feel the presence of god in my heart. Its just we have to surrender completely onto him and rest will happen on its own.
Thanks.
I am greatly inspire by the read. I do want to be able to feel the presence of God. I have learnt a lot and I believe I will get to learn more and more.
blessings.