Scripture About God’s Presence: 7 Verses With Applications
The morning glories are climbing the neighbors’ porch beams when I stop along the road and come to a realization: I have not been attentive to God’s presence lately. I’ve been hustling and striving and failing to stay in step with him. After returning home, I pull out my Bible in search of Scripture about God’s presence. I want to remain attuned to him throughout all my moments.
Scripture About God’s Presence: 7 Bible Verses
Below are the verses I find, writing them in my journal and soaking in the transformative truth of God’s Word.
If you want to become more attuned to God’s presence, I invite you to spend some time letting these words wash over you as well.
Scripture About God’s Presence
1. Deuteronomy 4:29
But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul (ESV).
When we seek God with our whole hearts, we find him. We can claim this powerful promise during life’s troubled times.
God is not far off. He wants us to experience his presence and power.
Seek him and you will find him!
2. Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
We find the fullness of joy in God’s presence!
Is your joy lacking? Turn to Jesus. Ask him to fill you with his joy. This is a prayer he will answer because he wants your joy to be full.
3. Psalm 139:7
Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?
This Psalm brings us comfort by reminding us that we cannot run or hide from God. His comforting presence is always with us.
The next time you feel alone or misunderstood, remind yourself that God is always with you. He understands you better than you understand yourself.
4. Matthew 28:20
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he reminded his followers that he was always present with them.
He is always with his followers today as well. He wants to strengthen and uphold us.
5. 1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
This powerful verse teaches us that God dwells within us. The next time you doubt God’s nearness, speak this verse. The Living God has made his dwelling within you!
6. John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
We bear good fruit by staying close to Jesus.
Abide in Jesus by talking to him, reading your Bible, and returning your thoughts to him often. When you do so, your life will reflect his glory!
7. Psalm 84:10
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.
These words remind us that being in God’s presence is better than being anywhere else.
Do you long for God’s presence?
If not, ask God to help stir your longing for him.
Apply This Scripture About God’s Presence to Your Life
God is always present with us, which means that we are always dwelling in his presence; yet it’s easy to become distracted by the demands of our days and fail to cultivate the awareness of his presence.
As counter-intuitive as standing along the road and watching the climbing vines feels, I could learn something from their slow climb heavenward.
Staring at the climbing vines, I’m amazed by the subtlety with which they stretch toward the rooftops. In just one month, they have grown at least three feet. Somehow, in all my hurrying down the road, I failed to notice.
This reminds me of a powerful truth about the presence of God: If we truly want to dwell in God’s presence, we must begin by slowing down.
Dwelling in the Presence of God
The sad truth is that from the moment my feet hit the floor, I am often rushed.
When I live this way, I fail to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence with me.
Perhaps you want to learn to dwell in the presence of God, too. If so, these insights will help you become more aware of his presence as you slow down and pay attention to what he might be doing surrounding you.
3 Insights for Dwelling in the Presence of God
Let’s look at three insights that can help you become more aware of God’s presence with you.
1. Put presence before production.
Order brings me peace.
Sadly, the pursuit of order often steals my peace and pulls my focus away from what God is doing around me.
Trying to accomplish as much as possible within my days generally steals my peace and leads me to stop looking to God. Productivity becomes an idol. I fail to notice God’s hand because I’m so busy thinking about the next task.
If you struggle with this as well, I encourage you to aim to be present in your moments instead of aiming for production. Slow down.
Enjoy the people God places in front of you.
Focus on being mindful in your moments instead of accomplishing more.
2. Become more aware of God’s presence by completing one task at a time.
Many of us are good at multitasking. We pride ourselves on being able to talk on the phone, pay our bills, prepare meals, and help with homework at the same time.
Multitasking is a peace-stealer. It also pulls us away from focusing on the Lord.
I’ve learned that when I try my best not to complete multiple tasks at one time, I’m more in tune with what God is doing. My mind is open to listening for his still small voice and experiencing his gentle guidance.
Multitasking is a peace-stealer. It also pulls us away from focusing on the Lord. #peace #rest #presence Share on X3. Aim to be present in your moments instead of thinking about the future.
We should make plans. However, when our plans lead us to focus only on the future, we fail to be fully engaged in the present.
If you’ve ever planned for a big event, you know about this struggle. As you plan for the event, it consumes your thoughts. You realize that you’re not paying attention to the people God is placing in front of you in the present because you’re so worried about the future.
The fruit of living present in our moments is a greater awareness of God’s presence, and when I’m more aware of God’s presence, there is room in my heart and mind to encounter the One who is Peace.
Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
