The omnipresent God

1. The omnipresent God– 13th
October 2016
“Godisour refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm46:1)
The prefix omni- comesfromthe Latinmeaning“all.”So,to saythat God is omnipresentistosay that
God ispresenteverywhere.Inmanyreligions,Godisregardedasomnipresent,whereasinbothJudaism
and Christianity,thisview isfurthersubdividedintothe transcendence andimmanence of God.To
transcend means“to existabove andindependentfrom;torise above,surpass,succeed.” Immanence
meansremainingwithinorindwellingwhich meanstakingplace withinthe mindof the subjectand
havingnoeffectoutside of it.
By thisdefinition,Godisthe onlytrulytranscendentBeing.The “LORDGod Almighty”(inHebrew, El
Shaddai) createdall thingsonthe earth,beneaththe earthandinthe heavensabove,yetHe exists
above andindependentfromthem.All thingsare upheldbyHismightypoweraswe can learnfrom
Hebrews 1:3, “The Sonis the radiance ofGod’sgloryand the exact representation of hisbeing,
sustainingall thingsbyhis powerful word. After he had providedpurificationforsins,he sat downat
the right handof the Majesty in heaven”. He isupheldbyHimself alone.The wholeuniverse existsin
Him andfor Him thatHe may receive glory,honorandpraise. AlthoughGodisnot totallyimmersedin
the fabricof creation(pantheism),He ispresenteverywhereatall times.
God's presence iscontinuousthroughoutall of creation,thoughitmaynotbe revealedinthe same way
at the same time topeople everywhere.Attimes,He maybe activelypresentinasituation,while He
may notreveal thatHe is presentinanothercircumstance insome otherarea.The Bible revealsthat
God can be bothpresenttoa personina manifestmanner We canread thisfrom Psalm46:1; Godis our
refuge and strength,an ever-present help in trouble” We cvan alsolearnfrom Isaiah57:15, “Forthisis
what the highand exalted One says— he wholives forever, whose nameis holy:“I live ina high and
holyplace, but alsowiththe one who iscontrite and lowlyin spirit,to revive the spirit ofthe lowlyand
to revive the heart of the contrite”.
God isnaturallypresentineveryaspectof the natural orderof things,ineverymanner,time andplace.
We can obtainan ideaof His mightwhenwe read Isaiah40:12; “Whohasmeasuredthe waters in the
hollowofhis hand,or with the breadth of hishandmarked off the heavens?Who hasheld the dust of
the earth ina basket, or weighed the mountainsonthe scalesand the hillsina balance? God is
activelypresentinadifferentwayineveryeventinhistoryasprovidentguide of humanaffairs. Godisin
a special wayattentivelypresenttothose whocall uponHisname,whointercede forothers,whoadore
God, whopetition,andwhoprayearnestlyforforgiveness.“Godisourrefugeand strength, anever-
present help in trouble” (Psalm46:1). Supremely,He ispresentinthe personof HisSon,the Lord Jesus
Christ.God isalso mysticallypresentinthe universal churchthatcoversthe earthand againstwhichthe
gatesof hell will notprevail.
Justas God is sometimesseparatedfromHischildrenbecause of sinHe isfar fromthe wicked.“The
LORD is farfrom the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs15:29). He ordersthe
godlesssubjectsof darknesstodepartatthe endof time to a place of eternal punishment,Godisstill
there inthe midst.He knowswhatthose soulssufferwhoare now inhell;He knowstheiranguish,their
criesfor respite,theirtearsandgrief forthe eternal state that theyfindthemselvesin.He isthere in
everywayas a perpetual remindertothemof theirsinwhichhascreateda chasmfrom everyblessing
that mightbe otherwise granted.He isthere ineveryway,butHe displaysnoattribute otherthanHis

2. wrath.
Likewise,He will alsobe inheaven,manifestingeveryblessingthatwe cannotevenbeginto
comprehendhere;He will be there displayingHismanifoldblessing,Hismanifoldlove,andHismanifold
kindness—indeed,everythingotherthanHiswrath.The omnipresence of Godshouldserve toremindus
that we cannot hide fromGodwhenwe have sinned.We can learnof the dilemmaof the sinnerfrom
Psalm139:11-12, “IfI say, “Surelythe darkness will hideme andthe lightbecome nightaroundme,”
12
even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shinelike the day, fordarkness is as lightto
you”.
But rightnow inthisworldevenassinner we can returnto God throughfaithinthe name of JesusChrist
and inrepentance because Godsays: “Iwill not accuse them forever, nor will I alwaysbe angry,for
then they wouldfaint awaybecause of me— the very people I have created”(Isaiah57:16).