When I think of God and His many attributes, one of the first attributes that come to mind is his Omnipresence. My God, El Rio, is the God who sees. There is nothing that He does not see. The name El Rio is only found one time in the Bible, but one time is enough to convince me of this awesome attribute of my God.
In Genesis 16:13, Hagar had been treated badly by Sarah. Hagar was Sarah’s handmaid and because Sarah couldn’t conceive a child, she sent her into Abraham. When she became pregnant, Sarah became harsh with Hagar and Hagar fled from Sarah. She finds herself in the wilderness all alone, except for the God who sees! This God who sees watches over us to care for us like a mother does her children. This God knows everything about us and still loves and cares for us.
Genesis 16:13 “And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?”
The psalmist says it so well in Psalm 139:7-12. No matter where we are, we have a God who sees us. We can’t run from Him, and we can’t hide from Him. Darkness does not hinder His seeing. Time or lack of sleep does not affect God, because He never sleeps or gets tired. He is always there and always alert to our needs.
Psalm 139:7-12 “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 121:4 “Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”
We don’t understand and cannot comprehend the vastness of our God. We are finite individuals and God is infinite! However, just because I can’t understand it does not change the fact that it is true. This is where faith kicks in, and praise begins to swell in my soul. I don’t understand electricity, but I put my faith in the switch that I flip every day to turn on the light.
It is a very comforting thought to me that I am never away from God. He doesn’t have to search for me, or stop and remember where He saw me last. I can rest in the knowledge that He is always there. No matter where I go there is comfort because I am not alone. My God who sees all is always working on my behalf.
How does this truth make you feel? Do you find comfort in knowing that God is always present, or does it scare, or make you ashamed because He is always present? None of us are perfect, and there are times we would all be ashamed of what we are thinking, or what we are doing when we acknowledge to ourselves that God is there also. However, keeping this truth in our minds should challenge us to seek to live a holy life that is pleasing to the one who sees all.
