God’s Presence in the Psalms Scripture writers often express the desire to experience God’s presence. In the intimate experience of his presence, God’s rich goodness and love are all that people need (see Ps 21:6). By the same token, the absence of God’s presence is distressing and damaging. The poets of Israel often spoke of God’s face as a way of expressing his presence or absence. So they sought his face (24:6; 105:4). When his face shone or was turned toward his people, they experienced his presence in blessing, provision, and protection (67:1; 80:3-19). God’s hiding his face from his people was a picture of divine abandonment (13:1; 27:9; 44:24; 69:17; 88:14; 89:46; 102:2; 104:29; 143:7), as if God were not seeing or hearing them (10:11; 42:3). The absence of God creates dismay, shame, and chaos, and may even lead to death (30:7; 44:24; 104:29). The psalmists prayed for God’s presence as they requested a change in their circumstances (31:15-16; 67:1; 69:17; 80:3, 7, 19), and they acknowledged the role of his presence in giving them aid (see 44:3). The godly long to be invited into God’s presence (11:7; 16:9-11; 17:15). His presence alone satisfies their deepest longin...