#8 - Omnipresent

​This large yet fragile sphere covered in a tapestry of blues and greens, browns, and shades of white, is the planet we call home.  While over 196.9 million square surface miles, the earth is small in comparison to the solar system it resides in.  With the sun over 92.96 million miles away and the last planet about 2.7 billion miles, our local solar system seems huge.  Yet even it is small when considered next to our galaxy the Milky Way and there are billions of galaxies in the known universe with scientists discovering more each day!  To date, the known universe encompasses two trillion galaxies, which include 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars and cover 93 billion light years of space.  And that’s just the known universe!  We have not yet discovered the edge of space or the end of God’s immense creation.

​Yet despite the colossal size of the known universe, we cannot hide from God.  He is much, much bigger than His creation and His glory and presence fills the universe.  Every nook and cranny, cavern and mountain top, from the depths of the oceans to the farthest star, God’s presence is there.  Why?  Because God is OMNIPRESENT.  He is everywhere at all times.  There is no place we could flee to that would be hidden from His omnipresence.  As the psalmist David concluded:

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.  If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”
~Psalm 139:7-12

​We cannot hide from God nor can we escape His notice.  Even if we were to board a space ship destined for the edge of the known universe 46.5 billion light years away, God’s presence would still be with us.  Or if we try to take an oceanographic submersibles and drop down into the depths of the ocean, we would not be able to hide from God’s omnipresence.  There is no place that is beyond the reach of God. 
 
In His letter to the exiled Judean people, God summed His omnipresence up well:

“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away?  Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the LORD.  Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the LORD.”
~Jeremiah 23:23-24

​The fact that we cannot hide from God should fill us with a deep sense of peace.  No matter where we’re at or what we’re going through, God is there.  Whether we’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death and don’t see how anything good can come out of our circumstances, God is right there beside us.  Even if we cannot always sense His presence, it does not lesson the truth that He is there.  He’s there on the lonely mission field in a foreign country.  He’s there when you feel alone though surrounded by people 24/7.  He’s there when things are going well and life is good.  He’s there in the tragedy and sorrow.  He’s there and sees you when it feels like nobody knows you exist and you contemplate the meaning and purpose of your life.  No matter where we go or how we feel, God is always there.  His presence cannot be escaped from nor can we run outside His sphere of influence, because His omnipresence fills the universe, the earth, and the heavens. 
 
And this should give us reason to hope.  It should give us comfort in the midst of trials, joy in the midst of sorrow, peace and fellowship in the loneliest and most desolate of places.  For the Lord holds everything—the world, nations, our future—in the palm of His hand and nothing and no one is beyond His notice.  If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without the Star-breather watching, little can we escape His careful eye.  Therefore, wherever you are and in whatever circumstances you’re in, be encouraged and cheered by the promise of God’s omnipresence! 
 
Often, however, the mention of God’s omnipresence does not fill our hearts with joy but rather fear.  We are an inherently sinful people and our sin causes us to want to hide from the perfect and holy God.  Instead of embracing the hope and peace that God’s omnipresence can give us, we try to escape and hide our sin.  Why?  Because God’s presence reveals sin and we prefer to ignore and not acknowledge our faults and transgressions.  So we try to hide; we try to find a place where God will not see the sin we so earnestly want to enjoy and pursue. 
 
But we cannot hide.  We cannot run away from God.  God is everywhere at all times, that is what omnipresence means.  The prophet Jonah tried to escape God’s presence; he made a valiant attempt.  But it failed.  God was not fooled; He knew exactly where Jonah was and sent a gigantic fish to bring that wayward prophet back.  So the next time you feel like running and hiding from God, check in with Jonah and see how it works.
 
Though sin causes us to fear the omnipresence of God, we don’t have to let it keep us in fear.  If we acknowledge, confess, and repent of our sins, we can enjoy the hope, peace, and comfort that knowledge of God’s never-ending presence can provide.  And this is what God wants His omnipresence to be to us.  He doesn’t want us to constantly live in fear of Him and who He is, but to enjoy and find comfort and support in His ever-present Spirit. 
 
So will you dwell in the assurance and peace of God’s presence today?  Or will you allow un-confessed sin to bring fear into your life?  Which will you choose?

“No veil can hide us from God; not the thickest darkness. No disguise can save any person or action from being seen in the true light by him. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open villanies.
​On the other hand, the believer cannot be removed from the supporting,
​comforting presence of his Almighty Friend.”
~Matthew Henry (commentary on Psalm 139)