God is present everywhere. As David said, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7. There is no place on earth—or in the heavens—where He is absent. But there is a difference between His presence being everywhere and His presence being made known. There is a difference between God being near and God revealing Himself. His manifest presence—His felt, active, weighty presence—is not promised everywhere. It is reserved for those who seek Him. And not just individually, but in one accord.
“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.” Hosea 6:3
This is not an individual cry. It is a collective pursuit. A people turning to God together, urging one another forward. And when we seek Him like that—He responds. His going out is as sure as the morning. He will come to us like the rain—the latter rain that waters the earth. He will display His splendour, not in secret, but before the watching world.
God will show up. And His manifest presence will be real and obvious. His going out is sure!
Jesus says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
“His going out is sure.” Like the dawn that never fails to break the night, like the sun that always rises—God will show up. But it is not just for a private encounter. When we seek Him together, when we press on as his people, He comes in splendour—and the world takes notice. He will not hide Himself from a people who cry out for Him. He will not remain distant from a church in one accord. He will display His glory.
This is the promise: If we seek Him—not half-heartedly, not casually, not alone but together—then He will come. He will rain down His presence. He will rise among His people. And like the dawn spreads across the sky, His splendour will be seen across the earth.
“When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place… and suddenly there came a sound from heaven…” Acts 2:1–2
Unity draws Him. Hunger welcomes Him. Agreement makes room for Him. We can say with confidence:
God is always present. But He chooses to manifest Himself—He chooses to move—in places of united pursuit.
This is why spiritual gatherings are not routine—they are sacred. When the saints gather with one heart, one voice, one cry: “Let us know the Lord,” He responds not with silence but with rain. Not with distance, but with splendour.
Hebrews 12:18–24 gives a fearful picture of the old covenant, contrasted sharply with Mount Zion, where God invites us into joyful, reverent fellowship—not based on fear, but on grace through Christ.
But I want you to recognise whom you are joined with when you draw near to the manifest presence of the Lord. You join the assembly of saints, the firstborn church of God. Hebrews describes the entourage of heaven. Verse 23 says, “to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.”
Saints’ gathering is not a social hall. It is not a performance stage. It is the general assembly of the firstborn, the heavenly Zion, the place where God Himself meets with His people.
There is no nonchalant walking into our gathering, brethren. We seek Him—and He shows up!
Author
kay.alli@legalview.co.uk