Tuesday, October 1, 2013

The “Omni–ness” of God – Part II


Psalms 139:7-10  Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.

God is Always in the Here & Now - OMNIPRESENT 
King David was able to proclaim the ever-presence of God from his personal experience. He spoke of God’s presence in the valley, in the cave, in the kingdom and in his heart.  The prophet, Jonah, also discovered that he could not run from the presence of God.

The omnipresence of God does not merely mean He has always been in the “now” of my life.  It has to do with something much greater.  "God is spirit," said Jesus to the Samaritan woman drawing water from the well (John 4:24).  Though fully personal, God does not live in and through a body as we do. The omnipresence of God means that he is everywhere present in ALL space and ALL time. There is no point of space or no moment in time where God is not, was not, or will not be.

God does not adapt to time and space but created them. Since this is true, he can transcend space and time.  But it is also true that space and time could not exist without him. He sustains them.  His presence is the life of the universe!  This is true of all orders of life and reality in the universe.  All of this is difficult for our finite human minds to comprehend. 

Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. Psalms 90:2

This truth about God is both a warning to those who feel that they can escape God's presence and a promise to those who seek God's help.  

God’s watching you!” has been used to try to stop a child from doing wrong.  Parents love to call down a “higher authority.”  The problem is, this presents a picture of God as a policeman snooping on us to catch us in wrong.  How sad!  He is not near us to punish, He is around and in us to bless.  His presence is not meant to bring fear, but encouragement and security.

In the midst of our good times, God is present to fill our hearts with joy.  In the center of our bad times, He is present to bring peace, strength and guidance.  Remembering that He was present for our yesterdays and is here for us today gives us assurance that He will be waiting to take us by the hand first thing in the morning.  He is omni-present.

The days following we will look at other attributes of God which make His omnipresence even more valuable to our lives.

Scripture to Claim
Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?" declares the LORD. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:24)

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