My Personal Experiences with being in God’s Presence

I regularly feel God’s presence and peace. Here I relate the details of two of the most intense sessions I had with God.

April 9, 2021

(This experience did not happen physically. But it was more genuine than mere imagination.)

Tonight, I got everything clear between God and me. I started by praying, “Search me, oh God, and know my ways. Try me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in paths of righteousness.”

A high level of divine serenity enveloped me, and I felt sure no human on earth could feel more perfectly at peace. I found I was entirely satisfied. My only concern was how little other people encounter this divine peace.

About half an hour after this episode, I decided to see if I could intentionally experience God’s presence again.

 I approached God with the question, “May I sit on your lap?”. (Even as I asked that, I realized I had not premeditated the thought. The idea of sitting on God’s lap never before went through my mind.)

God responded by scooping me up and setting me on His lap, and I laid my head on His left shoulder. The tranquility I felt might best compare to the contentment a young child feels when their mother holds them in her arms.

I had not known what to expect, but I certainly did not dream it would be this.

 I presently asked God another question, “Father, what can I do to be more like You?”. (That thought also hit me as having been divinely inspired.)

At that moment, God gave me a passionate hug. The serenity I felt found a higher level yet, and then it registered that God’s answer to my question was, “You are right where I want you to be.”

I must say, that answer really caught me off guard.

I am still trying to wrap my head around this all.

August 12, 2021

Early this morning, I felt restless and could not sleep. I changed the ventilation in my room and got a drink of water. I tried to pray, but it felt like there was a kink in the hose, so to speak. My thoughts refused to focus, and God seemed distant and out of reach.

I finally realized God was too far away, which meant Satan was too close.

I asked God to remove Satan’s presence as far as the east is from the west and replace it with His presence, and I promptly started feeling better. I briefly waited as the transaction completed, and I could fully detect God’s presence and peace.

As I sat on God’s lap, with His left arm around my shoulder, my gratitude was beyond words. I felt so unworthy of the divine attention I was receiving. (When I pray, I often think of myself as a preschooler sitting on God’s lap.)

(I share more stories of these experiences in God’s presence in Chapter 13.)

I learned an important lesson: Whenever I feel restless and not in God’s presence, the problem is Satan’s presence, and you just read the solution.

I was still hot and couldn’t sleep, but the kink in the hose was gone. My thoughts were relaxed and concentrated, and I felt at peace.

Around 3:30, I prayed that I might experience deep, relaxed sleep and soon fell asleep. When my alarm went off at 5:40, I felt like I was awakening from an especially deep sleep.

—Marcus Hurst