Wednesday, March 23, 2016

The Omnipresence of God by Lewis Kiger


 Today, we consider the last of the three “Omni’s” of God – the Omnipresence of God.  The word comes from the Latin omni meaning “all” and praesant which simply means “here or next to.” Simply stated God is “All-here” or GOD IS ALL PRESENT and that extends to the farthest reaches of both space and time.  

 Webster defines omnipresent as “Presence in every place at the same time; unbounded or universal presence.” God is the Ever-present Eternal Spirit.  Where is God? God is everywhere. Is God always around? God is in every place, and always sees and knows everything. There is no time or place where God isn’t.

 This is clearly stated to us in Psalms 139:7-12 The Psalmist asks “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? Then declaring the universal presence of God he says; 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.” The inspired writer understands that there is no place one can go and escape from God. Neither darkness nor shadow can conceal us from the presence of the Almighty. God can see in the shadows.

 Whether it be the deep cold of the Artic or the burning sands of the desert, God is there. From the top of Mount Everest, to the depths of the Mariana Trench, God is there. Land or sea, up or down. North or south. Daylight or dark. God is everywhere all the time. There are no “God-free zones.” The Law of God may be foolishly removed from the schoolhouse and the courthouse, but the presence of God is immovable. 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. God cannot and is not contained by anyone or anything.
 A story is told of a missionary who witnessed those of the Hindu faith who would walk around tapping on trees and stones and asking; Are you there? Are you there? To the god they hoped might be inside. The God of the Bible is indeed there. He is there. And He is here. And He is everywhere.

 This attribute is one of the most convicting truths that one can ever consider! How foolish for anyone to think that they can hide from God. Lost sinner, the God whom you have refused to obey, the God that has commanded all men everywhere to repent has been an eyewitness to every deed you’ve ever done. He is the ever-present Divine observer who will serve as both judge and jury of the activities of all men. I urge you to flee to the cross and find forgiveness and reconciliation with this Omnipresent God.

 Once there was a man and his wife playing scrabble. The husband was an atheist, the wife a Christian. The unbelieving man took some extra letters from the bag and sarcastically spelled out God is nowhere. And his wise praying wife, looked at it, and slid the tiles apart and made it read God is now here!  

 This is a wonderful truth for the believer. No matter whether we are walking along the mountain tops or down in the valley, God is there. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. The words of the old hymns should bring solace to our weary souls:
  No never alone, no never alone; He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.  

 Just when I need Him, Jesus is near; Just when I falter, just when I fear. Ready to help me, ready to cheer; just when I need Him most!

 Finally, when our time here on earth is done, and the hour of death is upon us, and we begin our walk through that valley of the shadow of death, we need fear no evil. The Psalmist says: “for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The omnipresent God will be with us in the sunshine and the rain. In the times of joy, and in life’s darkest days, and we will enjoy His Divine presence throughout all of eternity.


Pastor Lewis Kiger

Memorial Heights Baptist Church

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