Dawkins' God Delusion Divorced American ... - Biola University

BIOLA CONNECTIONS ❁ SPRING ’07 ON MY HEART
Understanding of God’s Presence
our bodies are now the temple of God in the Spirit, and
our experience of His presence is no longer tied to a
particular time or place. Because of the Spirit’s
indwelling, we carry a temple around within us, making
our entire lives into dynamic venues of worship. A glory
cloud is a step down from what we have been given.
We are tabernacles for God’s glory in the world, and
so both our praises and our actions become offerings
designed to bring glory to His name. That is, after all, the
primary purpose for worship: we are composing a
declaration of God’s greatness for Him and for all those
around, drawing attention to who He is and what He has
done. In this manner, we bring Him glory.
While worship is about God’s glory, it is, however,
also about our transformation. God could reveal Himself
in a glory cloud every time we worship, just as He did with
the Israelites, and that would certainly be a thrilling
experience. However, I question whether it would create
lasting spiritual growth in our lives. The fiery pillar never
seemed to impact deeply the hearts of the Hebrews
wandering in the wilderness. Would we respond
differently? We are probably far more interested in God
revealing Himself in a sensational way than He is. Indeed,
our desire for His “manifest presence” in worship might
have more to do with our appetite for experience than
with His glory or our growth.
Still, I can’t believe that it is wrong for us to
desire God to manifest Himself in our worship.
Perhaps we are simply using the wrong yardstick to
measure His presence, expecting feelings of
exaltation as the only proof or residue of His genuine
activity. For myself, I find that the work of the Spirit
in my worship is as often about convicting me of sin as
it is wowing me with wonder.
While God will occasionally empower our worship
in an exhilarating way, making us all aware of His
presence in a more dramatic fashion, I believe that the
work of His Spirit is usually quiet and internal — a still,
small voice inside. It is this kind of “manifest presence”
that I desire and expect to see on a regular basis and, I
believe, is the manifestation that we should pray and
hope for in our gatherings.
Daniel Radmacher
(90, M.Div. ’04) serves as the worship leader for
Christ Church Pasadena in Southern California
and has released two worship albums. At Biola,
he earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance
and a master’s of divinity, receiving the Zondervan
Outstanding Thesis award for his work on worship and postmodernity.
www.danradmacher.com
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