Day 13: God’s Omnipresence

“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

“Do I not fill the heaven and the earth?” the Lord asks in Jeremiah 23:24. There is no place in all of creation where He is not. David wrestled with the same truth in Psalm 139. “Where shall I go from Your Spirit?” He already knew the answer. There is nowhere.

We get distracted by the pace and noise of life, and we can assume that God is distant from us, but Scripture tells us He “is not far off from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:27-28). God is not more present in the extraordinary moments than ordinary ones. He is with us on the mountain, in the desert, and everywhere in between. His nearness doesn’t change, but rather our awareness of His presence.

His presence makes every moment holy. When we remember God is present, even a sink full of dishes can become an altar, a diaper change a ministry, brewing coffee a moment to recognize God’s grace. He is with us in each step and every breath, whether we notice or not.

God’s presence also calls us to holiness. We cannot hide sin from Him. In Jeremiah 23, He asks, “Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see Him?” Yet He also promises to dwell “with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit” (Isaiah 57:15). The holy God is not far. He is near to revive and restore. He dwells with His people.

Ask the Lord to make you aware of His presence.  He is already here. We need the Spirit to open our eyes.

“God is everywhere here, close to everything, next to everyone. He is over all things, under all things, outside all; within but not enclosed; without but not excluded; above but not raised up; below but not depressed. The knowledge that God is present is blessed, but to feel His presence is nothing less than sheer happiness.” — A.W. Tozer

Prayer:

Our Father, we know that Thou art present with us, but our knowledge is but a figure and shadow of truth and has little of the spiritual savor and inward sweetness such knowledge should afford. This is for us a great loss and the cause of much weakness of heart. Help us to make at once such amendment of life as is necessary before we can experience the true meaning of the words “In thy presence is fullness of joy.” Amen.   – A.W. Tozer

Response:

Where in your life do you most forget that God is near?

What simple daily moment can you turn to worship by remembering His presence?