Did you feel that?

The other day, my wife asked me a question.  I think it went somewhere along the lines of, "so how do you feel the presence of God"...or something like that.  She was asking about my experience of God, more or less.  But, as often happens when I'm talking with someone about the Faith, I found myself hung up on the particular phraseology used.  The "Christianese", if you will.  I often hear phrases like "presence of God" and find it really hard to actually talk about it because I'm not really sure what they mean.  Like when a church service starts and the worship leader says that we're entering into "The Presence of God".  I'm actually somewhat ok with this usage now, as I see it as a spiritual metaphor for what we're doing physically--though that took a good two days of my life to work out.  But I'm not sure that the people in the audience understand it that way.  People come to church and want to actually feel the presence of God.  And I can't help but wonder in confusion, what does that actually mean?

Of course, we of the Faith will readily admit that God is always present.  That's just part of the package when you worship an omnipresent god.  But that's obviously not what is meant because people wouldn't be asking for it then.  It would be like asking for another serving of air.  There are stories in the Bible where God was actually physically present the way my wife is present across the table from me as I write this right now.  He shows up in clouds and pillars of fire.  He shows up in a gentle whisper and has a conversation with his prophet.  He goes walking in the garden and he is even born as an actual man and eats and sleeps and everything.  But I don't think this is what people mean either.  Because there are times when I've heard people say that they have felt God's presence and nothing of this sort happened, at least not that I noticed. 

I've asked people about this feeling and haven't really gotten straight answers.  Apparently, feeling the presence of God isn't something one can describe or explain.  I can accept that.  But it does make me feel a little jealous.  I mean, I think I have a pretty good relationship with God.  But I've never gotten a spiritual "hug" or had this weird mystical sense that he was physically there in the room with me. 

I guess in the end I don't feel left out too much.  I think I'd rather know that he was always there whether I sensed him or not.  That way, when I don't sense him, I don't have to wonder where he got off to.