Omnipresence

Deuteronomy 4:7 (AMP)

⁷ For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God [is to us] whenever we call on Him?

The term “omnipresence” is borrowed from Latin. It is a compound of omni, meaning “all,”

and praesens, meaning “here.” Thus, God is always here, close to everything, next to

everyone. 

A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (Chap. 14 ¶2).

It is one of those questions of how God can be in multiple places at the same time, and yet still be personable and intimate with all of His creation simultaneously.  I admit it is a tough one to answer, especially if you are attempting to answer that question from a human centered perspective with limited human understanding it is next to impossible.

Before one can adequately attempt to answer the question of omnipresence, one must first settle two basic questions:  1) “is God actually God?”  and 2) “does God’s power transcend our human existence or experience?”  If you believe in and trust the Genesis account of creation, then it goes without saying because you have placed your faith in the God of creation and the believe the written word of God to be true.  If you are an evolutionist or Agnostic and discount the biblical narrative of Genesis as fanciful or foolish, then the question of God’s omnipresence remains a mystery left unsolved and is unknown to you.  The bottom line is:  “Do you have faith to believe that God is real and the word of God is true?”

My belief is that I trust in and rely upon the Genesis narrative.  Some scholars have called this narrative a poem which was written with a rhythm and cadence which they believe would have been easily recognized and understood by early Hebrew readers.  Whether it is a poem or not remains in question, but what is obvious is the creative nature (name) of God (Elohim) and His ability to create all of matter as we know it from only a thought and then utilizing the creative force of His spoken word to bring creation into existence as we know it.  We are left to comprehend that God is all powerful above Human knowledge and reasoning, and that God can create all existence (matter) from thought and then by speaking that thought into the reality of our physical world.

Jeremiah 23:23-24 (AMP)

²³ “Am I a God who is at hand,” says the Lord,

“And not a God far away?”

²⁴ “Can anyone hide himself in secret places

So that I cannot see him?” says the Lord.

“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

Would it be just as incomprehensible to believe that the God who can change thought into matter could also be outside the restrictions of time as we know and understand it?  And that God can be anywhere and everywhere at the same time?  This is the mystery of spirituality...we believe in a God who is spirit which lives in another (higher) dimension which is very close to our natural world, but is also separate from it.  The space that separates our natural world and the spiritual world has been bridged by a single man Christ Jesus.  No one in recorded history has ever bridged that dimensional gap before Jesus and no one has bridged it after Him.  Jesus is the only one who can bring parity between the natural and the spiritual worlds.  Why?  Why can’t someone else bridge these two worlds?  Because Jesus is God in the flesh!  This is why Christianity cannot be compared to other religions of the world, because there is no comparison.  It would be like comparing an apple to a rock...one is created while the other always existed.

Psalm 139:7-10 (AMP)

⁷ Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

⁸ If I ascend to heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), behold, You are there.

⁹ If I take the wings of the dawn,

If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,

¹⁰ Even there Your hand will lead me,

And Your right hand will take hold of me.

Omnipresence is a trait that is only possessed by God Himself.  All created spiritual beings (specifically anything that is not God Himself) Satan, principalities, angels, demons, etc.) are all created beings and are not omnipresent.  But you need to catch the significance of the word omnipresence itself...it is not defining the past or the future, but omni-present.  God is all-present in the here and now!

1 Kings 8:27 (AMP)

²⁷ But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built!

“The doctrine of the divine omnipresence personalizes man’s relation to the universe in which he finds himself. This great central truth gives meaning to all truths and imparts supreme value to all his little life. God is present, near him, next to him, and this God sees him and knows him through and thorough.

At this point faith begins, and while it may go on to include a thousand other wonderful truths, these all refer back to the truth that God is and God is here.”

A.W. Tozier The Knowledge of the Holy (Chap. 14 ¶7-8).

There is the awareness that God is ever present even when life is not moving forward as we feel it should.  We can have the confidence that God is near us and even within us as we go through difficult times.  It is especially critical at these times we must put into practice what we have learned, and call upon the Lord and draw upon His power that we may be strengthened in our inner man.  Satan and his forces will speak to our minds and tell us that we are weak and powerless when the opposite is actually true.  Speak the truth to yourself about God's promises and also surround yourself with other believers who can speak truth to you and pray with you to encourage you and build you up in the most holy faith.

Omnipresence is God’s ability to speak with all of His people regarding His desire for their lives.  Each of us has a different calling, but each of us has been given the ability to hear Him.        

"The Lord constantly speaks to us and gives us His direction. It’s never the Lord who is not speaking, but it’s us who are not hearing. Jesus made some radical statements about hearing His voice in John 10.  He was speaking about Himself as the Shepherd of the sheep and the only way to enter the sheepfold".   (Andrew Womack – How to hear God’s voice Article ¶3) 

John 10:3-5 (AMP)

³ The doorkeeper opens [the gate] for this man, and the sheep hear his voice and pay attention to it. And [knowing that they listen] he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out [to pasture]. ⁴ When he has brought all his own sheep outside, he walks on ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice and recognize his call. ⁵ They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

"Notice that He said in verse 3, 'His sheep hear His voice'. He didn’t say His sheep CAN hear His voice or SHOULD hear His voice. He made the emphatic statement that His sheep DO hear His voice. Most Christians would question the accuracy of that statement since their experiences don’t line up. But it’s not what Jesus said that is wrong; all true believers can and do hear the voice of God, they just don’t recognize what they are hearing as being God’s voice."

(Andrew Womack – How to hear God’s voice Article ¶4-5)                                                                                            

Not only is God everywhere and He created everything, but He also is communicating with us.  He communicates His love and mercy to us in ways we can understand.

May God’s love keep you and sustain you in good times and difficult times as well, when you need a Savior and when you need a friend He will always be there for you.  He is there to meet us where we are...for He is ever present.

”The knowledge that God is present 
is blessed, but to feel His presence

Is nothing less than sheer happiness.

God reveals His presence: 
Let us now adore Him,

And with awe appear before Him.

Him alone, God we own; 
He’s our Lord and Savior,

Praise His name forever.

God Himself is with us: 
Whom the angelic legions

Serve with awe in heavenly regions.”

Gerhard Tersteegen

Blessings to you!

Stephen Barnett

God is good all the time―all the time God is good!

Your Presence

(Words and Music by Cindy Rethmeier)

Nothing satisfies me

Nothing soothes me

Nothing can embrace me like Your presence

You draw me with Your love

And the hope of Your promise

You will never leave me

I love your presence

Nothing satisfies me

Nothing soothes me

Nothing can embrace me like Your presence

You draw me with Your love

And the hope of Your promise

You will never leave me (I can’t live)

You will never leave me (without Your presence)

You will never leave me

I love your presence

I’m longing for the treasure

Of Your peace and Your rest

Come hold me and surround me with Your presence

You’ve drawn me with Your love

And the hope of Your promise

You will never leave me (I can’t live)

You will never leave me (without Your presence)

You will never leave me

I love your presence

Copyright © 1996 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
 These lyrics are copyrighted by the respective artist(s) and are demonstrated here for educational purposes only and not for profit