7. Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? 8. If I ascend into heaven, You are there, If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 9. If I take the winds of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10. Even there Your hand shall lead me, And your right hand shall hold me.
Although the word omnipresent is never used in scripture, we use it to describe the ever-presence of God — that He everywhere at all times. In fact, it is used along with omniscient to describe God’s knowledge of all things past, present, and future, and omnipotent to describe God’s power. These words help us to describe what Scripture teaches us about God’s nature. Even the biggest of brains have grappled with understanding how can this be, often concluding that our limited human brains are not capable of understanding how one Being, can be present in all places at once. But is it really that difficult to understand and accept?
As humans we tend to compare other beings to ourselves. We claim to have “animal instinct” and see human-like behaviors in animals. If we’re being honest, most people imagine God as a human-like figure residing in another dimension call Heaven. Even referring to Him as the “man upstairs”. But these misunderstandings are corrected in Scripture. John 4:24 tells us that “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him, must worship Him in Spirit, and in truth.” David illustrates this perfectly in Psalm 139, painting a perfect picture of God’s all-seeing, ever-present, and ever-guiding providence.
We know from 1 Corinthians 3:16 that God’s Spirit dwells inside all believers in Christ. We also know that God created all living things, even in a way that the health and survival of all living things are interconnected by His design. This isn’t limited to humans, four footed beasts, creeping things, birds of the air, or fish in the sea. By divine design trees provide oxygen for us to breath and removes poisonous carbon dioxide that would kill us. Seeds are buried and die bringing to life fruits, vegetables, and herbs that provide key nutrients we need to survive. This, in itself, is a reminder of the resurrection of Christ — life springing forth from what was dead. Even the season of spring is a testimony of the Gospel, when it revives the life all that was dead during winter. Rain hydrates all the living, while the sun gives heat and light that bounces off the moon at night to guide us.
We know from the prophets that the anointing of the Spirit was so strong on the chosen that they became spokesmen for God. Abraham and Sarah, Lot, Zachariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph — each visited by angels of the Lord carrying His message and being the very presence of God. Miraculous stories of survival in modern times tell us that God still send His angels to protect us, just as He has done throughout time. His heavenly messengers do not act on their own; he sends them, filled with His Spirit to carry out His will to protect, strengthen, and guide His children.
We were not promised a life free from affliction, trial, and tribulation. In fact, 1 Peter 4:12, tells us to not think it is strange when we are tried. In Romans 8:17, Paul tells us that as heirs of God in Christ, we shall share in the sufferings of Christ. But God also promised He will never leave or forsake His children (Deuteronomy 31:6).
The god of this world is Satan, and he has spiritually blinded those that don’t believe in God (2 Corinthians 4:4). The influence that Satan had over Cain shows us that the devil is also a spirit, and he has his seeds on earth as well. It is his desire to separate you from God through sin and unbelief. He does this by creating doubt about the very presence of God — and even better when he can make you believe God is responsible for the evil that he creates.
Whether witnessed in the beauty of creation among us, the awe inspring cohesiveness of God’s intelligent design, the “sixth sense” many call intuition, protections we can’t explain, or the recurring seasons that mirror the resurrection — God is visible everywhere and in all things.