To the faithful you (God) show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
to the pure you show yourself pure
but to the unfaithful you show yourself a wrestler. 2 Sam 22:26,27

In some ways today’s verse divides us as Christians into two categories: those who bask in God’s presence and those who wrestle in it.

Last time we saw how tempting it is to think that people who seem to have a greater degree of the presence of God in their lives are just particularly pure, but that’s not the case. Not one of us is particularly pure, but some are more aware of God’s presence than others.

God shows Himself to those who fix their eyes on Him. His glory (presence) is on them. The picture they see of Him is of a faithful, righteous and pure God. This God of ours comforts us with words like “I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will never drop you.” God is Loyalty itself.

God also shows Himself to those who are unfaithful. But the picture they see of Him is that of a wrestler (the literal word). God allows them to “torture” themselves (Matt 18:34) in hopes that they will come to their senses, seek Him, and find rest for their souls in His presence.

These two broad categories exist because Christians go through the circumstances of life, one of two things happens: EITHER our hearts get more tender and responsive and soft to the things of the Lord OR our hearts get colder and more hardened and drier. In the first case (as our hearts get more tender), we become more saturated with the presence (glory) of God on an ongoing basis. He lifts our countenance despite the circumstances and He works all things together for our good.

In the second case (as our hearts get harder), we become more difficult for God to bless with his constant presence. Even when we see His presence operating in others it frustrates us, and ultimately He allows us to feel the force of the misery we choose to live in.

The amazing thing is that either way, you and I are in His presence. We are either glorying in His presence or wrestling in His presence. Some of us are soft of heart. Why? Because as we see God high and lifted up, we see ourselves as needy. This is not groveling in our sinfulness, as is sometimes mistaken for a humble and repentant spirit. It is constant awareness of our Savior’s work saving us… Therefore we bask in His presence.

Others are hard of heart and we wrestle with Him. You might think the wrestlers are the card-core immorals among us. But in actuality, most of us wrestle with Jesus because we don’t realize that without Jesus we can do nothing.

But for those of us who receive His presence with joy and long for even more; it is that very presence that makes us realize how high and lifted up Jesus really is. The result is worship…. a more complete realization of how high and lifted up Jesus really is.

We are living in a day when people think they can rush into the presence of God and pick up a bag of His presence like we do a bag of burgers from the drive-up window of a fast-food restaurant. We can then rush off to our busy lives sustained for a little while. But the truth is, those who are basking in the presence of God just want more. They are in no hurry to leave.