Have you ever wished you could be in two places at once? Or have you wished you could have a clone of yourself to do all the hard things in your life while you go do the fun things? While your clone is taking college finals, going to work, or deep cleaning your house, you could be hiking the Grand Canyon, backpacking across Europe, or walking along the Great Wall of China! Unfortunately, we don’t have clones, and we are restricted to one body in one place. But we have a God who has no such restrictions-
“For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” Isaiah 57:15, ESV
Our God is omnipresent! This word may look kind of familiar. That’s because it has the same prefix (omni) as the last attribute of God we talked about here. The attribute of omnipresence means that God is all-present. He is everywhere all the time. Jen Wilkin describes this attribute as-
“God, unbound by a body, is not limited to one place. He is not merely big, He is uncontainable, able to be present everywhere.”[1]
God’s omnipresence actually contains two distinct attributes of God – His immanence and His transcendence. God is immanent because, “All of God is fully present in all places past, present, and future.”[2] There is no time or place where God is not present. His eyes are in every place (Proverbs 15:3), and He sees all our steps (Job 34:21). He is never far from us (Acts 17:27). We cannot hide from Him because He cannot be contained in one place.
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You;” 1 Kings 8:27a
Our God is immanent, but He is also transcendent. This means “…He is distinct from the creation He fills.”[3]God is present in and with His creation, but He is not a part of His creation (this would be called pantheism). The dirt of the ground, the water of the ocean, and the stars in the sky do not contain parts of our Deity. Neither do animals or humans. God is distinct from His creation, yet He is still very near to us-
“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
We may not like that we are tethered to only one place, but we can be encouraged that, wherever we are, God is always with us. We never need to be afraid or discouraged! He will never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:8).
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2
You have been placed where you are for a purpose – to spread the gospel and bring glory to God. God knows where you are. He sees you! You are not alone. You may find yourself battling metaphorical rivers and fires, and you may feel afraid or discouraged. But our omnipresent, immanent, transcendent God is always with you. Do not give up! Continue pursuing the purpose God has given you! And meditate on His omnipresence today-
“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.” Psalm 139:7-10
[1] Jen Wilkin, None Like Him: 10 Ways God is Different From Us (and why that’s a good thing) (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2016), 95.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid., 96.
