His Presence- Part 1: Omnipresence
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. Psalm 139:7-12 (KJV)
Over the course of the next three days, I want to discuss the presence of God. His presence is mentioned throughout Scripture, and there are what we might call different aspects of His presence pointed out in various verses. Today we are going to look at His omnipresence.
According to Merriam-Webster, omnipresence refers to being present in all places at all times. God is omnipresent, meaning that everywhere we go, God is there.
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. Jeremiah 23:24 (KJV)
God, who is a Spirit according to John 4:24, can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time. In the spirit realm there is no time, space, distance, or matter. God is self-existing and needs nothing in order to exist. Therefore, God is not limited by the things that limit us such as distance, so He can be in all places at all times.
The omnipresent God can see and hear everything at the same time. He can hear everyone’s prayers simultaneously and answer them. There is no limit to God and He has no limitations placed on Him. He lives in a unique dimension called eternity.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Hebrews 4:13 (KJV)
God sees all. He is omnipresent and always knows what is going on in our lives as well as in our world. He is a personal God, yet He is universal in His reach. He can speak to one person or to billions. The heavens, even all creation, declares the existence of God. God is showing us that no matter where we look, we can see Him. And if we seek Him, we will find Him, because He is here, and He is there- and everywhere all at once.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:24-28 (New International Version, NIV)
