The Glory of His Presence
Psalm 100:4–5 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.”
By John David Hicks
The book of Isaiah likens salvation to a city with walls and gates, and every one of the gates is named “Praise.” For you to come into the presence of God, the place of salvation, you must go through the gate of praise. There is no other way to have access into the court of God.
In the psalm above, we are told to enter God’s presence through the gates of thanksgiving and to come into His courts with praise. Why does thanksgiving with praise give you access to God’s presence? The psalmist gives three reasons why you should give thanks and praise the Lord. First, because the Lord is good. Second, His love endures forever. Finally, His faithfulness continues through all generations. The goodness, love and faithfulness of God will then open the door into a fresh revelation of God’s presence.
Moses found it so. When Moses asks to see God’s glory; the Lord said that He would proclaim His glory by letting His goodness pass before him. Exodus 34:6–8 says, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin… Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped.” Like Moses, when you see God’s goodness, love and faithfulness to you, you too will bow and worship. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that by beholding the Lord’s glory, you are transformed. “We who… reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The transformation doesn’t happen by your efforts. It happens by beholding the glory of the Lord. The glory of His goodness, love and faithfulness is what changes you into His likeness.
The goodness of God describes the benevolent nature and character of God. It refers to His acts of mercy, pity, compassion, long-suffering patience, grace and justice (Ps. 145:8–9; 103:8; Zeph. 3:17; Rom 11:35–36; 1 John 4:8). Good things happen to you when you believe that God loves you because God’s goodness opens the door of grace.
The Bible affirms both God’s sovereignty and His goodness with equal emphasis. The goodness of God is behind all the blessings God daily bestows upon us. God created us because He felt good about us in His heart and He redeemed us for the same reason (Ps. 68:19; Matt. 7:11). Tozer reminds us that, “Nobody ever got anything from God on the grounds that he deserved it.” Romans 2:4 says that, “The goodness of God leads to repentance.” Your response to the goodness of God will cause your heart to overflow with heartfelt gratitude and thanksgiving. “I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing” (Ps. 16:2). “The goodness of God endures continually” (Psalms 52:1).
“The love of God is an attribute of God, which means it is eternal, immutable and infinite. It never began to be and it can never end; it can never change and there is no boundary to it;” so says Tozer on the Almighty God. God has chosen to love you. It is not about you earning His love. God is love. “To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love,” so says Thomas A Kempis.
“How do I know that God loves me?” The answered is: “I know God loves me because Jesus died for me.” The greatest example of love is found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God in Christ demonstrated His love by giving His life to redeem us. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Because of the cross, you are greatly blessed, highly favored and deeply loved. Your worth and value come from the love of God. He is committed to your well-being. He wants you to know that you are completely accepted and well-pleasing in His eyes. That is why He gave you the gift of righteousness. Knowing this love makes you strong and bold in life. You “are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).
The Faithfulness of God is to all generations. God remains faithful even when you have been faithless (2 Tim. 2:13). God is faithful to keep his word. Because God is faithful,l He will always do what He said and accomplish what He has promised. Remember that God loved you even before you turned to him. “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving–kindness.” NRSV says, “therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31:3). Because God is faithful, you can trust Him to keep His promises. The Lord knows everything about you, and chose to love you. His everlasting love compels His loving faithfulness to you. When you remember that God is omnipotent, with unlimited power and authority—you can’t live in despair; you have faith, hope and love.
Remember the old hymn: “Great is Thy faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me… There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be… Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth; Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide; Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Now, live in His presences with thanksgiving and praise!