John 20:26 "And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you."
"No sooner did they step over the threshold than they exclaimed. “The Lord is here!” Not a word had been uttered; but the blessed influence of God’s holy presence was sensibly felt."
I want to have the kind of relationship that can result in what is spoken of below:
"When the love of Christ is enshrined in the heart, like sweet fragrance it cannot be hidden. The holy influence it reflects through the character will be manifest to all. Christ will be formed within, “the hope of glory.” His light and his love will be there; his presence will be felt. There have been times when the blessing of God has been bestowed in answer to prayer, so that when others have come into the room, no sooner did they step over the threshold than they exclaimed. “The Lord is here!” Not a word had been uttered; but the blessed influence of God’s holy presence was sensibly felt. The joy that comes from Jesus Christ was there; and in this sense the Lord had been in the room just as verily as he walked through the streets of Jerusalem, or appeared to the disciples when they were in the upper chamber, and said, “Peace be unto you.” {RH January 4, 1887, par. 7}
It seems that sometimes we are in such a rush—I speak for myself in this for sure, perhaps for others too—that we don't always have the connection from personal quiet time in Christ's presence that we need to have the blessing of His presence attending us as we go through the day. I think this is also a reason why too many of our efforts to reach out to others fail. We are going forward without Jesus. We give Him lip service and we pray, and all the other things that we are suppose to do, but I don't know if we are really having that thoughtful time in His presence that is so important. Here is a wonderful incentive to do so: we are told that when others see that God is with us, then a multitude not of our faith will join us in serving the redeemer. Oh, that that day would come quickly!—Dan Augsburger