If you are a Christian, or you’ve attended church often, you’ve probably heard the term omnipresent. The word means something, or someone, is everywhere. I remember as a child thinking this about my parents. It seemed that no matter where I was, they were there, and knew everything I did. As I grew older and had my own family, I realized they were not everywhere, but God was and I realized the Holy Spirit enlightened them with wisdom and knowledge about me, which was revealed in my attitudes and actions.
While we as mortals cannot be everywhere, God can. The term omnipresent is used about God throughout the Bible. In Proverbs 15:3, the writer declares the LORD is everywhere seeing both good and evil. Nothing escapes God. In Jeremiah 23:24, the prophet talks about the vastness of God. He fills Heaven and the earth. No one can hide from Him. As a child, I had many hiding places that I would use to create my own little world. While I thought I was alone I wasn’t, God was there.
Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
Jeremiah 23:24 “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.”
In Psalms 139, David gives us the most beautiful picture of God’s omnipresence. The psalmist begins this Psalm by exalting the greatness of God. In verse 1, he acknowledges that God knows everything about him. He continues this thought throughout this psalm. In verse 6, David is overwhelmed with the knowledge of God. He continues in verse 7 with reference to God’s omnipresence and asks a rhetorical question. Where can I go from your spirit or your presence? If he is in heaven, God is there, if, in hell, which here is referring to the grave, God is there. There is no place where God is not. He goes on to teach us that we can run from God, but it is futile. The creator of everything is everywhere.
Psalm 139:1 “To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. (2) Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. (3) Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. (4) For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. (5) Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. (6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. (7) Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; (7) Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; (10) Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”
While we understand that God is everywhere, and if we are Christians His Spirit lives within us, it is easy to act and live, without acknowledging His presence. This is where I believe most people live. It is like many homes today. There may be several members of a family living together, but each does their own thing and pays no attention to the other. Yes, they are under one roof, but if the earbuds are in, Mom can scream to the top of her lungs and no one hears. Many Christian lives are like that family. God dwells within and is trying to get their attention, but their focus is on other things and they can’t hear Him. Have you silenced God in your life by turning up the volume of other things, or putting the earplugs in to tune Him out? God is always present and always trying to communicate with us, but we must be in tune with Him to hear and understand.
Sometimes He speaks in a still small voice, nudging us, waiting for us to acknowledge His presence. He longs for us to commune with Him all day long. Yet we treat Him like the kid with the earbuds treats his Mom. The earbuds stay in until he needs something. God is not dwelling within us just to protect us and be there to defend us or pick up the pieces from our messes. He dwells within us to direct, comfort, and guide us to all truth, to express His awesome love for us, and also to be the one thing in our life that is constant and forever. He loves us and longs for a 24/7 relationship. We miss so much by not purposefully acknowledging and living in His presence. You were created for Him and by Him, determine today to be aware of His presence. If you don’t, He may scream louder through circumstances to get your attention.
