What does the presence of the Lord feel like?

[InJesusItrust]

I often hear of people speaking of the presence of God? What exactly does it feel like?

I think I have only felt it once is my life, never before nor since. I was crying tears in despair wanting to experience love, because the bible said that God is love and those who do not know love do not know God. I cannot feel these emotions, so I was convinced that I was damned and sobbed uncontrollably. I suddenly felt a light radiate from invisible holes in my palms. It “felt” like light, even though light usually has no feeling. And I felt bliss, love, and peace that had no bound.

But I have never felt it since. People often talk about feeling God’s presence but I do not feel it no matter how much I pray. Is there some reason why?

 

[ProdglArchitect]

I too do not feel God’s presence constantly while praying. For a while this bothered me, I’m trying here, why doesn’t He let me know I’m doing well? After I thought about it though, I realized exactly why these experiences were so rare.

If God gave you these experiences every time you prayed, they would lose their meaning. Like you, my experience came at the height of a certain despair I had for the state of my soul and my hopes for salvation. My experience wasn’t during praying, but rather came during a dream after a night where I had been obsessing over my own sinfulness. I was standing before God and Jesus, and all they said was “It is alright.” In that instance, everything that bothered me, all my fears, everything left. I was at absolute peace. It was this experience which lead me to start attending church and reconciliation regularly again. I sounds like the same may have been true for you, this experience was the catalyst which lead you to seek out conversion.

If I felt this every time I prayed, it would not have had the same meaning, or the same affect. Instead, by only giving me a taste of God’s love at my absolute worst, it did more good in my life than anything else I have experienced.

So, I would say to you, do not focus on the fact that you do not feel this every time you pray, but rather, rejoice that despair no longer has absolute hold over you. Remember the experience and remember how it felt, and know that this feeling is your goal, this love is what you seek to experience for eternity, and let that drive you.

 

[englishredrose]

I often hear of people speaking of the presence of God? What exactly does it feel like?

I think I have only felt it once is my life, never before nor since. I was crying tears in despair wanting to experience love, because the bible said that God is love and those who do not know love do not know God. I cannot feel these emotions, so I was convinced that I was damned and sobbed uncontrollably. I suddenly felt a light radiate from invisible holes in my palms. It “felt” like light, even though light usually has no feeling. And I felt bliss, love, and peace that had no bound.

But I have never felt it since. People often talk about feeling God’s presence but I do not feel it no matter how much I pray. Is there some reason why?

For me the Presence of God feels whole and complete. This is how I pray and find it incredibly easy to do so since my priest shown me how. I find words hard when praying with God. I can’t do that but this is perfect. I am simply just being with God. The priest told me its so easy that its hard. I completely understand that in my own way because there is nothing to it apart from simply being in the Presence of God. Nothing special, no ritual like the Lords’ Prayer where you got to start and say all the words. That is far too complicated for me and don’t know how all you guys do it. The priest showed me how to by using the sun as an anology. It was a warm day that day back in March. He said about how the sun makes him feel happy etc and its that feeling. You cannot analyse it like a science and you alone know when you are in the Presence of God. My guess is that you are searching for something special and its not. Its quite ordinary really. Praying the words of the Lords Pray is far more complicated and for me turns me away from God rather than nearer. We are all different. You have to simply just be with God. Its awesome and at the same time yes I do feel that pull of tears because I spent 25 years not knowing this and that this is prayer, valid prayer. Other priests have tried for me but this one got me there and I am happy with it. Its only split seconds whenever but I can tune in per se my way and I know. Its not what others tell you to feel, Its what you feel. You know. God knows. That all what matter. Don’t question it. Don’t reason it. Don’t search for it. Just be with God. Its perfect for me and the best!

Its so simple that its hard. That is the clue. We want to make things more complicated and its not. The Lords Prayer is by far more complicated that just being in the Presence of God with whatever you are doing
You will know you are there when you stop asking about it… as I read in a book called the Power of Now. It applies to being in the Presence of God perfectly. Its whole and you know.
Peace be with you

 

[Dubay]

Having had communion in a Catholic and Lutheran church the warmth, peace and being complete is wonderful-no exceptions.

It’s where my utmost focus and attention is with God. I am humble to be in his presence and spirit. 100% peace and joy.

 

[hazcompat]

The presence of Jesus is unimaginable deep peace, the Holy Spirit is bliss beyond all bliss and joy beyond all joy.

Peace

 

[Jeanne_S]

I too do not feel God’s presence constantly while praying. For a while this bothered me, I’m trying here, why doesn’t He let me know I’m doing well? After I thought about it though, I realized exactly why these experiences were so rare.

If God gave you these experiences every time you prayed, they would lose their meaning. Like you, my experience came at the height of a certain despair I had for the state of my soul and my hopes for salvation. My experience wasn’t during praying, but rather came during a dream after a night where I had been obsessing over my own sinfulness. I was standing before God and Jesus, and all they said was “It is alright.” In that instance, everything that bothered me, all my fears, everything left. I was at absolute peace. It was this experience which lead me to start attending church and reconciliation regularly again. I sounds like the same may have been true for you, this experience was the catalyst which lead you to seek out conversion.

If I felt this every time I prayed, it would not have had the same meaning, or the same affect. Instead, by only giving me a taste of God’s love at my absolute worst, it did more good in my life than anything else I have experienced.

So, I would say to you, do not focus on the fact that you do not feel this every time you pray, but rather, rejoice that despair no longer has absolute hold over you. Remember the experience and remember how it felt, and know that this feeling is your goal, this love is what you seek to experience for eternity, and let that drive you.

Beautifully stated!

 

[InJesusItrust]

I too do not feel God’s presence constantly while praying. For a while this bothered me, I’m trying here, why doesn’t He let me know I’m doing well? After I thought about it though, I realized exactly why these experiences were so rare.

If God gave you these experiences every time you prayed, they would lose their meaning. Like you, my experience came at the height of a certain despair I had for the state of my soul and my hopes for salvation. My experience wasn’t during praying, but rather came during a dream after a night where I had been obsessing over my own sinfulness. I was standing before God and Jesus, and all they said was “It is alright.” In that instance, everything that bothered me, all my fears, everything left. I was at absolute peace. It was this experience which lead me to start attending church and reconciliation regularly again. I sounds like the same may have been true for you, this experience was the catalyst which lead you to seek out conversion.

If I felt this every time I prayed, it would not have had the same meaning, or the same affect. Instead, by only giving me a taste of God’s love at my absolute worst, it did more good in my life than anything else I have experienced.

So, I would say to you, do not focus on the fact that you do not feel this every time you pray, but rather, rejoice that despair no longer has absolute hold over you. Remember the experience and remember how it felt, and know that this feeling is your goal, this love is what you seek to experience for eternity, and let that drive you.

It is not that I don’t feel it everytime . I don’t feel it at all. Others talk of feeling peace after prayers and mass, but I just doñ’t feel it. Have I closed my heart to His presence? A stigmatist once wrote that those whose hearts are opened to Him can feel Him. I am too emotionally scarred to feel these emotions in my life. I want to be with God so bad.

 

[Blenderx]

When God gives us these feelings, He is giving us what are called ‘consolations’. The feelings are not God Himself, and the absence of these feelings do not mean God is not Present. When I do feel it, it feels peaceful and still and I feel whole. But we can find God equally in consolation or desolation (like the Dark Night of the Soul).

You might enjoy reading The Practice of the Presence of God by Br. Lawrence. It is available free online, and there is even an audio version you can listen to free via Youtube. Its a short and simple book and has been around for centuries.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

Beautifully stated!

Glad you like it ^^

It is not that I don’t feel it everytime . I don’t feel it at all. Others talk of feeling peace after prayers and mass, but I just doñ’t feel it. Have I closed my heart to His presence? A stigmatist once wrote that those whose hearts are opened to Him can feel Him. I am too emotionally scarred to feel these emotions in my life. I want to be with God so bad.

Maybe, for you, that drive to be with Him -is- you feeling Him. You feel His love and your reaction is a desire to be close.

Your status says that you are converting? That means you’ve never received the gift of reconciliation before? Your heart may be open to him completely, but there is still a chance that past sins have cut you off from him. I remember that after I had my first confession in a long time it was like a wall had been torn down. Perhaps it will be the same for you.

I will add this to what I said before. Don’t let this lack of noticeable feelings deter you. Everyone receive’s God’s call in a different way. Perhaps this lack of feeling is your cross to bear. Just remember that you have felt it and, like I said, allow that to drive you. It’s not about the here and now, it’s about the end. We strive and suffer in this life so we can be eternally happy with Him in the next.

 

[louisak]

When God gives us these feelings, He is giving us what are called ‘consolations’. The feelings are not God Himself, and the absence of these feelings do not mean God is not Present.

That is an important point about consolations. These are feelings which God sometimes allows us to have. It is VERY IMPORTANT to understand that whether we have these feelings, or not, has nothing to do with God’s presence. A person can be in a state of grace and not have any of these warm loving feelings. For a person who is advanced in the spiritual life, this can be what St. John of the Cross calls “the dark night of the senses” - this does not refer to the bodily senses, rather it refers to the state in which the soul cannot derive comfort or consolation from prayer, meditation on the mysteries of the faith and so forth.

The lack of warm loving feelings can have a very different explanation. It often occurs in people who suffer from depression, chronic anxiety and so forth. For such people, their emotional/psychic wounding has made it impossible for them to experience spiritual consolations. It can be very difficult to accept, but in many cases, such people need to accept the lack of consolations as part of the cross which they need to bear in their Christian life. We all have our crosses but they are different for different people. However, depression and anxiety are not necessarily permanent. One should never give up searching for healing.

I agree with the recommendation of The Practice of the Presence of God - it is short, and I have read it and found it helpful. If you would like something more contemporary, I suggest He and I by Gabrielle Bossis or The Light of Love by Patricia Devlin. Both of these books have been invaluable to me when bogged down by feelings of hopelessness, depression, anxiety and so forth.

 

[InJesusItrust]

If I die now, will I be cut off forever? I am not in RCIA and don’t even know if they offer such a thing in India. Until I finish my bachelors, my family will not allow me to join the Church. Does Baptism clean all sins, including venial ones? How will my first confess in go? Some of my past sins disgust me.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

If I die now, will I be cut off forever? I am not in RCIA and don’t even know if they offer such a thing in India. Until I finish my bachelors, my family will not allow me to join the Church. Does Baptism clean all sins, including venial ones? How will my first confess in go? Some of my past sins disgust me.

I doubt you would be cut off. You are earnestly seeking God to best of your ability. I’m sure God will take this into consideration. Remember, as humans we are limited in our means and capabilities, so I doubt he would hold it against you if you are currently unable to complete RCIA and be Baptized.

Why won’t your family let you?

Baptism removes original sin from the soul, I’m not sure of what it does to sins that you have committed. Once baptized, however, you are able to partake of most other sacraments (certain sacraments, such as the Eucharist, or Marriage, take additional preparation before receiving), so you will also be able to receive Reconciliation, which will wash away all other sins.

Your first confession will probably be very difficult. It can be a little embarrassing initially, or after you’ve been away for a while. You are basically telling the priest everything you’ve ever done wrong; it is good that some of your past sins disgust you because that means you recognize how wrong they are and are therefore less likely to do them again. Always remember, you can’t say anything that will shock the priest. He’s pretty much heard it all. You do not need to worry about being judged, degraded or made fun of; the priest will just be happy that another child of God has found his way back home; it is a cause for celebration, not condemnation. Every confession is a beautiful experience because it someone devoting themselves to God, and being made clean.

I have been attending confession almost weekly now and, while I feel shame for my sins, I am not embarrassed, and the priest is always understanding and tries to offer me advice. It is good to have a regular confessor, in my opinion, because they become more familiar with you and your struggles, and are therefore more able to help you.

 

[Veronica97]

ProdigalSon, if you are not baptized, baptism will wash away ALL of your sins–both original and any sins you have committed in your whole life. It will be a brand new start. You will need to go to Confession for any mortal sins you commit AFTER baptism. Are you a legal adult? If so, I wouldn’t let my parents hold me back from becoming Catholic. Even if they stop paying for your education, I would not let that stop me. NOTHING is more important than our relationship with Jesus Christ. “And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29) What you need to do is find a Catholic Church and then go talk to the priest or go to a seminary and talk to someone there about what you need to do to become Catholic. If you are pursuing Jesus with all your heart, He will not let you perish.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

ProdigalSon, if you are not baptized, baptism will wash away ALL of your sins–both original and any sins you have committed in your whole life. It will be a brand new start. You will need to go to Confession for any mortal sins you commit AFTER baptism.

Thank you for the clarification, I thought that was the case, but I didn’t want to give him false information ^^

 

[InJesusItrust]

My family is worried that I will throw away everything else in life to do the Lord’s will and I was in fact doing it when they forced me to choose them or Christianity . Because I had read too many Protestant claims I thought the end was near, and I was also spiritually oppressed. All these things made them think that I was going crazy. I can’t promise that I will not change my career path if God told me to, but I don’t think that that will happen.

They nw know that they cannot force me to be Hindu, but they do not want me to abandon my career. I think that God gave me computer skills to be a layperson so I won’t but they don’t trust me.

I am disabled, or I would go to Church without their consent. I physically cannot do anything on my own in India.

 

[ProdglArchitect]

My family is worried that I will throw away everything else in life to do the Lord’s will and I was in fact doing it when they forced me to choose them or Christianity . Because I had read too many Protestant claims I thought the end was near, and I was also spiritually oppressed. All these things made them think that I was going crazy. I can’t promise that I will not change my career path if God told me to, but I don’t think that that will happen.

They nw know that they cannot force me to be Hindu, but they do not want me to abandon my career. I think that God gave me computer skills to be a layperson so I won’t but they don’t trust me.

I am disabled, or I would go to Church without their consent. I physically cannot do anything on my own in India.

Perhaps you should tell them that unless they respect your wishes and start taking you to church, you will recluse yourself, reject your studies, and -only- focus on religion. That may make them aware of how serious you are about conversion, and may make them more open to discussion. I do not know your family dynamic, so I can’t know, but I agree with Veronica that this should be a major focus of your life and you should make your family aware of how important it is to you.

Also, as to your earlier question, since you are incapable of attending church without assistance from your family, and it is your family that is preventing you and not yourself then you do no have culpability for not attending RCIA or anything like that. The sin falls to your parents for preventing you from attending mass.

 

[InJesusItrust]

They take me to Church once a month and don’t mind me learning about Catholicism. In fact they have seen my strong faith and are warming up to the idea. My dad has agreed for me to get a miraculous medal this week. I also ordered Peter Kreeft’s Catechism last week (he’s awesome, I always see his lectures when I have free time).

They just want me to hold off a formal process until I finish my education. I will be done by mid 2014. I also think that I may be able to get them to convert someday, but if I do something drastic they will hate Christianity forever. Even with all the things that have passed, I do not want my family to remain in darkness.

 

[Semper_Zelare]

I have felt the presence of the Lord. And most times it feels like my heart is on fire. But, it doesn’t feel uncomfortably hot or anything. It feels like a warmth of love and grace is radiating in my heart.

Most often this occurs when I’m praying the Rosary. But, sometimes it happens for a minute or two during personal prayer. It hasn’t been happening very much recently, but I think my prayer hasn’t been as intense. I’m in a lot less desperate place than I used to be.

The feeling that I walk away from all the time’s I’ve experienced the Lord’s presence is an overwhelming sense of peace. I’m truly at peace with everything in my life and all in the world.

 

[englishredrose]

When God gives us these feelings, He is giving us what are called ‘consolations’. The feelings are not God Himself, and the absence of these feelings do not mean God is not Present. When I do feel it, it feels peaceful and still and I feel whole. But we can find God equally in consolation or desolation (like the Dark Night of the Soul).

You might enjoy reading The Practice of the Presence of God by Br. Lawrence. It is available free online, and there is even an audio version you can listen to free via Youtube. Its a short and simple book and has been around for centuries.

He is really good and our priest has quoted him. I was lucky in that I didn’t need to do any further reading but there again I had spent the last 25 years searching one could say and the right tuition at the right time. Some of take to it and some find other ways but really you do not need to do anything other that what you are doing. You just need to be able to simply be with God. Perhaps you need to stop looking if anything. Relax and be with God. He is always with us its just us being with Him. and all you need is your own awareness. When I told the priest I can’t see God but can feel God he got me onto thinking about blind people and spacial awareness and that link. I don’t mean I can’t see Gods’ face because none of us can but I knew what I meant and thankfully the priest seem to understand since he got me this far. But I think you learn alot from relaxing and perhaps having a chat with your own priest because somehow they can guide us better than each other though we mean very well.

 

[tektonik]

Have you seen a mosquito fly into a light? When God shines his light in your life you will abandon everything to follow Him. That feeling of God’s love is the best feeling ever. If that is what Heaven is like then it’s going to be a good time.