“The Presence” in the Bible: Neville Goddard’s Mystical Interpretation

While the Presence of God is implied throughout the entire Bible, there are several striking moments where it is explicitly named. These are not merely records of divine appearances—they are spiritual signposts, pointing inward.

According to Neville Goddard, the Bible is not a record of external history, but a coded revelation of the inner journey of man. In this framework, every time someone “comes into the Presence of the Lord,” they are not encountering an external deity—they are coming into awareness of their own I AMness.

Let us explore what Scripture says explicitly about “the Presence,” and how these moments reveal the mystery of your own being.

---

1. Genesis 3:8 – Hiding from the Presence

“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.”

This is the first explicit mention of “the Presence” in the Bible—and it is met with fear.

According to Neville, Adam symbolises the awakening individual consciousness. The “garden” is the state of pure imagination, and the moment Adam hides himself is when man begins to believe himself to be separate from God—from the Presence within.

Neville would say that this “fall” into duality is the beginning of the human story: when imagination forgets its own authorship, and the individual hides from the truth of I AM.

---

2. Exodus 33:14–15 – “My Presence shall go with thee”

“And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
And [Moses] said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”

Here, Moses pleads that the Presence of God remain with the Israelites. Neville would read this not as a plea for divine favour, but as the recognition that without consciousness of the I AM, nothing worthwhile can proceed.

“My presence shall go with thee” means you shall walk in awareness—in the knowing that God is not above, but within. When you move forward in this awareness, you are guided not by circumstances, but by imagination.

---

3. Psalm 16:11 – “In Thy Presence is fullness of joy”

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Neville often said that joy and fulfilment are not conditions brought in from the world, but expressions of inner union with the I AM. To dwell “in the Presence” is to be rooted in the awareness of being—unmoved by fear, scarcity, or appearances.

This verse speaks of the fruit of spiritual identification: fullness. According to Neville, this is the state of knowing that your assumption is divine law, and that imagination, rightly directed, is the very Presence of God acting in you.

---

4. Psalm 51:11 – “Cast me not away from Thy Presence”

“Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.”

This heartfelt plea from David arises after the awareness of self-betrayal. In Neville’s symbolic reading, David represents the manifested self—the conscious expression of a state. When that self turns away from truth, it feels disconnected from its source.

Yet Neville insists: the Presence is never truly absent. Only your awareness of it wavers. The “Holy Spirit” is not a third-party entity—it is your own imagining power when it is holy, or whole.

This verse reveals the deep inner cry to return to the centre—to live again in conscious union with the I AM.

---

5. Acts 3:19 – “Times of refreshing shall come from the Presence of the Lord”

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.”

Neville would immediately highlight the word repent, which he defined not as sorrow for sin, but as a radical change of attitude. To repent is to shift states.

“Times of refreshing” come when we return to the Presence—to the inner centre of creative power. This is not emotional relief, but spiritual reawakening. The Presence does not come to us—we awaken to it.

---

6. The Glory in Solomon’s Temple – The Unspoken Presence

While the word “Presence” is not explicitly used in the account of Solomon’s Temple, the experience of it is unmistakably described. When Solomon finishes building the Temple and places the Ark of the Covenant in the inner sanctuary—the Holy of Holies—a thick cloud fills the space:

1 Kings 8:10–11
“And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,
So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.”

Neville would interpret the Temple not as a historical building, but as a symbol of your own mind—your inner house of being. The Ark represents the resting point of divine identity (the I AM), hidden deep within the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of consciousness.

The cloud of glory is the moment when you enter stillness and awareness fills your being. You cannot minister, or “do,” because Presence takes over. Imagination awakens.

Just as the Presence filled the Temple, so it fills you—when you remember who you are.

---

The Symbolism of Presence in Neville’s Terms

In all these verses, the Presence is not far off. It is not something to be summoned, or earned, or mediated by clergy. In Neville’s framework:

• The Presence is imagination.

• The Presence is awareness.

• The Presence is your true self, waiting to be recognised.

When the Bible speaks of hiding from the Presence, it speaks of forgetting who you are.
When it says the Presence will go with you, it means your assumed identity will create your path.
When it declares joy in the Presence, it points to the peace of resting in your power.

Neville summed it best:

“You are God. You are the Presence. The Bible is your biography—written in symbol to guide you back to yourself.”