Tonight I was reading True Worship by Vaughan Roberts, and wanted to pass along this quote on how we perceive the presence of God:

“We are all different, so different things induce the experience in us.  Some find that dimly lit medieval buildings, candles, plainsong and formal choirs do it for them.  Others are left cold by all that.  Acoustic guitars, drums, and synthesizers are what they need.  Those two settings could hardly be more different, but many devotees of each are united by the belief that the ‘buzz’ they experience is an encounter with God.  That buzz, in their minds, is the moment of true worship – when they enter the presence of God himself and he draws close to them.”…The Bible never teaches that a feeling can take us into the presence of God.  If that had been possible, God would have sent us a musician rather than a saviour.  Only Christ can take us into the Most Holy Place in heaven, where we have direct access to the Father through faith in him.”

True Worship, Vaughan Roberts, pp. 67-68.