God, Show Us Your Glory – Part 3 – Omnipresence
Since moving to St. Louis, I have fallen in love with QT gas station. These vehicular oases contain anything a traveler or commuter could ever want. They have six types of tea, a dozen unique coffee flavors (although I’ve never had one), donuts, roller hot dogs, brats, taquitos, and much more. I love that they are always stocked, cleaned, and the gas pumps always have receipt paper. Perhaps the best part of QT is that they are scattered everywhere around St. Louis (except Chesterfield Valley, Why is that?). You don’t have to drive too far to get a great deal on gas and a fresh sweet tea in a large styrofoam cup! They are amazing! Last year, I went to Africa, and I was concerned that Malawi might not have a QT. By the way, they don’t. But, do you know one thing that was in Malawi when we stepped off the plane? God! God was there because God isn’t semi-present. He is omnipresent. He is everywhere at all times.
Attribute: Omnipresent
Defined: present in all places at all times https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omnipresent
Bible Verses:
Psalm 139:1-16 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known [me]. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted [with] all my ways. For [there is] not a word in my tongue, [but], lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. [Such] knowledge [is] too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 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. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light [are] both alike [to thee]. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them.
Application:
There are scores of verses that speak to the omnipresence of God, but Psalm 139 is my favorite. It poetically demonstrates how God surrounds us with His presence. He is there when I sit down and when I stand. God is even present in my daydreams (thoughts afar off). He encompasses me during the day and when I go to bed. He is there to hear every word I speak. His hand is behind me, before me, and above me. Where could we go that God is not? If I saddle the first-morning sunbeam and ride it across the ocean at the speed of light when I dismount, God will be there. He is not there to smother and control but to lead and hold me as I follow him. I can’t even hide from Him in the dark. The night is light to God because of His omnipresence. God was present, even when I was in my mother’s womb. He created me to be a unique person that would glorify Him. What an incredible Psalm! What an extraordinary God!
Practically, Psalm 139 teaches us that because of God’s omnipresence:
1. You are not an accident. Your life is a miracle created by God, and He has a plan for you. Every part of you is a pre-planned significant piece to a God-glorifying poem that He is writing with you.
- Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,
- Psalm 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
- Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2. You are not alone. No matter what you experience today, God is present, not as a wish-granting genie, but as the sovereign guide to help you navigate life in a way that glorifies him and bring maximum pleasure to you. We don’t always “feel” His presence because we live in an environment of chaos called earth. We also have a great tendency to leave His side, but his omnipresence assures us that He is near and never leaving.
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? 24 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.
- Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Additional Articles:
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/god-everywhere/
Here is another great article on omnipresence from The Gospel Coalition