Matt. 18:20 says, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them." He is present. It is a stated fact. Psalm 22:3 indicates that God inhabits, or dwells in, the praises of His people. Psalm 46:4 states, "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells." He dwells in the holy place of the gathering of God's people. In Psalm 100:4 we are challenged to "enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise". Now the assumption is made that we are entering where He already is present.
All of the above passages and many more indicate that God is present. We do not need to plead for His presence; we simply need to acknowledge His presence. We need to enter fully assured that He is already present among us when we gather for worship. We need to acknowledge, accept and be aware of His presence because He has already promised His presence. As an old author used to say, "We need to practice the presence of God". We not only sometimes live like "practicing atheists", but we sometimes gather for worship as if we are ignorant of the fact that HE IS PRESENT among us.
Let's be faithful to pray for each other's awareness of His manifest presence among the people of God as we gather to worship. Instead of "calling" for His presence, we need to "count on" His presence. mjm
