“To live in the presence of God is to understand that whatever we are doing and wherever we are doing it, we are acting under the gaze of God. God is omnipresent. There is no place so remote that we can escape His penetrating gaze.” R.C. Sproul

When I consider the years I spent in the prophetic movement, one of the things I reflect upon was the desire to have encounters with the Lord, where it seemed as if we were face-to-face. Though I never saw Him with my physical eyes, I remember times of feeling overwhelmed by those moments and thinking that was the pinnacle of my existence. I knew people and had heard accounts from well-known leaders claiming to have seen Jesus Christ and to have spoken with Him. Whether He was said to have entered a room of their home, or they were taken to the throne room, there were fantastical accounts relayed of time spent before the Lord.

When people hear these stories of going to the throne room of heaven and seeing Jesus face-to-face, I think it has a dual effect. It can make one long for that same experience and to even seek after it at the risk of coming under delusion, deception, and emotional manipulation, or it causes one to wonder why they are not special enough to have these kinds of stories to tell others. Why do I not get invitations to heaven? Why have I not audibly heard the voice of God? What does it mean for my relationship with the Lord if I have never had a radical encounter like this in my life?

These are questions some may ask themselves when hearing such stories, while others recognize the danger and even questionable testimonies shared from such claims. There are people claiming to frequent heaven, having hours on end conversations with Jesus Christ. There are leaders who will teach and proclaim that every believer is to see Jesus face-to-face here and now. There are books written about God encounters, elaborating on the time spent conversing with Him. These things are not uncommon in the movement I was once affiliated.

The Beauty of Coram Deo

Over the past several years, it has brought much peace and joy to understand what it means to live before the face of God and to be free of the burden to attain radical supernatural encounters marking me as “special”. A few years ago, I came across this term, coram Deo. R.C. Sproul talked about it and wrote about it, sharing a conversation he had with a businessman concerning the life of a Christian. This is the epitome of a born-again believer. Sproul stated, “This phrase literally refers to something that takes place in the presence of, or before the face of, God. To live coram Deo is to live one’s entire life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God.”

As adopted children of God, we are ever before the gaze of Almighty God. He is sovereign, and He is omnipresent. The claim to an extraordinary or supernatural face-to-face encounter with Him does not define us as truly knowing Him. No matter what we are doing in this life, whether at home with our family or on the job, we are to ever have this understanding in mind. Colossians 3:16,17 reminds us of the importance in having the word of Christ (Scripture) dwelling within us richly while instructing fellow believers in various capacities of worship unto God, and verse 17 instructs us to do all things in word and deed to the glory of God. Regarding this particular verse, Kaspar Olevianus said, “In our actions it is appropriate that our means should be geared toward our ends, in conformity with the Word of God and with our calling.” Our calling is to testify of Christ and to glorify God with our lives as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto Him.

Psalm 27 is a beautiful song to the Lord, a reminder of Him being our light and our salvation. Verse 4 says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” Dear friend, the pinnacle of your life is not found in an encounter in seeing the face of Jesus now. There are no special Christians when it comes to having a relationship with Jesus Christ, and seeking practices such as these are dangerous. Our focus is not on an individual experience; our focus is upon Christ.

We look forward to being in eternity with Him, when we will most certainly see His face and enjoy Him forever in all of His majesty and glory. We are encouraged in that truth while facing trials and difficulties in this world. We are encouraged to live our lives worthy of the gospel of Christ, and it is in this we can be at peace, knowing that no claim to seeing Jesus is necessary for the Christian faith, while being mindful to live everyday coram Deo.

Listen to this episode from The Lovesick Scribe podcast as we look at modern claims of seeing Jesus face-to-face, and the beauty of living Coram Deo: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Living Before the Face of God on Apple Podcasts