Today we're pleased to share with you an audio essay written and read by Ryan Lister, entitled

Ten Things You Should Know About the Presence of God. Ryan's book is The Presence of God,

It's Place in the Storyline of Scripture and the Story of our lives.

10 things you should know about the presence of God, written by Ryan Lister and read by Ryan Lister.

Number one, God is imminent because he is transcendent.

The Lord is God in the heavens above that is transcendent,

and on the earth beneath, that is imminent. Joshua 2.11. But to understand God in full,

we must recognize that his drawing near to creation stems from his being distinct

from creation. In other words, there is no deficiency in God that creation satisfies. The Lord

doesn't relate to this world because he lacks something within himself. No, God draws near out of the

abundance of who he is. God's transcendence distinguishes him from the created order and puts

things in their right perspective. God does not come to us needy and wanting, but rather he comes

to revive the spirit of the lowly and the heart

of the contrite, Isaiah 5715. It is the holy and righteous one above who restores the broken

and needy below.

Number two, the Bible emphasizes God's manifest presence, not only his omnipresence.

There is a difference between saying God is everywhere and saying God is here. The former is the default category for most Christians.

We talk about God's presence, being inescapable, and that he is everywhere present.

But it seems scripture is more concerned with his presence manifest in relationship and redemption.

And though these divine qualities are certainly not at odds, the biblical story does turn on God being manifest with his people in Eden, the tabernacle, or temple, the incarnation of Christ, and the new heaven and new earth.

Number three, the story of scripture begins and ends with the presence of God.

In the book of Genesis, Eden is the first couple's home, but more importantly, it is God's sanctuary, the

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