Nuggets
- God is everywhere.
- God through His Holy Spirit lives within us; therefore, we can’t hide from Him.
- God especially comes to us to encourage us when we are down and to heal us.
- God is present because He wants a relationship with us.
Devotions in the Churchy Word series
What Does Omnipresent Mean?
There are times when we can feel so alone. We aren’t. God is always present with His disciples. This devotion looks at how God is present with us.
Let's Put It into Context
According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, omnipresence is used to describe “God’s presence everywhere in all the world’s space.”
God Is Everywhere
“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Prov. 15: 3 ESV)
It is logical that God is everywhere. I mean, He did create everything. Pearce wrote, “The power of the Almighty Father is manifest in every part of creation … His presence governs, animates, and preserves the whole universe of existence.” God provides for His creation.
Saying “The eyes of the Lord are in every place …” (Prov. 15: 3 ESV) is very descriptive. God not only sees everything, but He also judges and and corrects what isn’t right.
But every place is massive. We like to think He is up in heaven in His temple or throne room.
God can’t be relegated to only where we want Him to be. He is too all-encompassing.
- “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!” (I Kgs. 8: 27 NLT).
- “but the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What sort of house will you build for me? says the Lord, or what will be my resting place?” (Ac. 7: 48-49 CSB).
- “The God who made the world and everything in it — he is Lord of heaven and earth — does not live in shrines made by hands” (Ac. 17: 24 CSB).
Can’t Hide
“‘Am I a God who is only near’ — this is the Lord’s declaration — ‘and not a God who is far away? Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?’ — the Lord’s declaration. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ — ‘the Lord’s declaration” (Jer. 23: 23-24 CSB)
When I read “… How much less this Temple I have built!” (I Kgs. 8: 27 NLT), my mind immediately went to “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (I Cor. 6: 19-20 CSB).
God through His Holy Spirit lives within us. Therefore, He is everywhere we go. We can’t hide from Him.
I guess what I get from all of this is God is Who we need when we need Him. When we need Sovereign God, He is on His throne. When we need Abba Daddy, He in our hearts and has never left.
God Comes to Us
“And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper” (I Kgs. 19: 12 NLT).
When I started thinking about it, we’ve talked a lot about how God comes to us. God especially comes to us to encourage us when we are down and to heal us. Oh, yes, He can come in a whisper to make sure we focus on Him.
To read devotions in the Elijah Was Depressed series, click the appropriate button below.
Lord, I Have Shut the Door
Vocalist: Elaine Guthals
Keyboard: Chris Vieth
We did a whole series on the different ways God utilizes to appear to us. Some of the verses we used showed how God doesn’t leave it to us to come to Him — He makes the first move.
- “There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up” (Ex. 3: 2 NIV).
- “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isa. 6: 1 NIV).
- “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him” (Ac. 9: 3 NLT).
To read devotions in the Seeking God series, click the appropriate button below.
But then, we don’t always just sit back and accept things. Sometimes we have to wrestle with God until we work out our understanding and can submit.
- “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!’” (Gen. 28: 16 NLT).
Our Relationship with God
“You observe my travels and my rest; you are aware of all my ways.” “You have encircled me; you have placed your hand on me.” “Where can I go to escape your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I fly on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the western horizon, even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me” (Ps. 139: 3, 5, 7-10 CSB)
God is present because He wants a relationship with us.
South seems to have tied Psalms 139: 3 with Jeremiah 23: 24. “‘Can a person hide in secret places where I cannot see him?’ — the Lord’s declaration. ‘Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?’ — the Lord’s declaration” (Jer. 23: 24 CSB).
God is not only present, but He also ferrets out all the things we want to keep hidden. He can take several actions:
- Allow us to proceed.
- Stop us from doing what is wrong.
- Work things out so the outcome better fits His plan.
Bottom line is that God is our Judge. He has given us laws and commandments to follow. It is under His prerogative to mete out appropriate punishment when those laws and commandments are broken.
South made an interesting observation. He wrote that “presumptuous sin is atheism.”
When we are presumptuous, we do something beyond the accepted limit. Atheism is “a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods.” Scriptures translate this as godlessness or wickedness.
So, let’s dissect this a second. Tom, Sally, or Elaine consciously decided that, even though they know something is a sin, they are going to do it anyway. That translates as our not believing God exists.
Well, Tom, Sally, or Elaine’s decision to commit the sin can be based on their belief that God isn’t going to do anything about it — or can’t. Maybe they got away with it in the past and nothing happened.
Or they don’t think it is something that constitutes as a sin. That smacks more of them diminishing God’s authority.
Making the Connections
- God is present everywhere — all the time. He not only sees, but He also remembers.
On top of that, God is concerned about how we live our lives. He is especially concerned about our character. He will reward good and punish evil.
How Do We Apply This?
- We need to acknowledge God as Sovereign Lord. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present.
- We need to live that belief out in our lives.
- We need to resist temptation.
- We should be a witness for God to our family and friends — and anyone else God chooses to put in our paths.
- We should work to grow our faith and trust in Him.
- We should quickly repent and submit to His judgment when we sin.
Father, You are Sovereign God, but You are also Abba. You are all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present.
What do you think?
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