The Glory of God’s Presence

In Exodus chapter 34 verses 29 to 30, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, something had changed, though he himself did not realise it. The scripture says that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. This is the glory of his presence. The presence of God carries a weight, a substance, something real. It is not just an idea or a feeling. When Moses encountered God, that glory did not stay abstract. It marked him. It rested on him so strongly that it affected his physical appearance. The people could not ignore it. In fact, they could not even handle it without fear.

But beyond what was visible on Moses, there are deeper workings of that glory. When a person truly encounters the presence of God, there are effects that begin to show up in their lives. From the first moment Moses had the burning bush experience he could not get enough of God’s presence.
The effect of encountering God’s presence includes conviction and inner realignment. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, his immediate response was not excitement but a deep awareness of his own condition: “Woe is me, for I am undone” (Isaiah 6:5). A similar pattern appears with Peter after the miraculous catch of fish, when he falls at Jesus’ knees and says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8). God’s presence does not merely inform the mind, it exposes the heart and brings it into alignment.

This is often accompanied by emotional breaking and a deep sense of response. David speaks of a broken and contrite heart as something God does not despise (Psalm 51:17), and we see in Acts how listeners were “cut to the heart” under conviction and asked what they should do (Acts 2:37). The presence of God does not leave people emotionally untouched, it awakens repentance and movement towards him.

It brings renewed direction in life and a greater sensitivity to God. Moses, after encountering God at the burning bush, turns from tending sheep to stepping into a national calling (Exodus 3:1–10). Saul on the Damascus road is redirected so completely that even his identity and mission are redefined (Acts 9:3–6). Encounter reshapes trajectory, not just mood.

It produces inner peace and a continual awareness of God that can be carried into ordinary life. Jesus speaks of giving a peace that the world cannot give (John 14:27), and Paul describes a peace that guards the heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). This is not situational calm but a settled awareness of God’s nearness even in normal rhythms of life.

It also reorders desire, shifting the heart away from anxiety and towards simple fellowship with God in everyday living. Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet rather than being consumed with many preoccupations (Luke 10:38–42) captures this reordering of attention. David’s longing in Psalm 27:4, “to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,” reflects the same inward shift from striving to communion.

Worship becomes deeper and more authentic. The Samaritan woman is told that true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23–24), showing that encounter moves worship beyond location, form and ritual into something alive and inward. Isaiah’s vision again shows this, as worship flows naturally from revelation of God’s holiness.

Religion becomes less mechanical, and there is a growing dissatisfaction with outward form when the reality of God’s presence is missing. Jesus rebukes those who honour God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:8). The prophets repeatedly confront this, showing that ritual without presence becomes hollow.

Basically when people truly encounter God, they are convicted, reoriented, comforted, re-centred, and made hungry for God rather than merely the structures around him. The challenge for us is whether we are content with religious familiarity, or whether we are willing to seek the kind of encounter that changes everything from the inside out.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18

Kay Alli