Omnipresence
Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:23-24; 1 Kings 8:27
Our solar system features 8 planets, our galaxy (the Milky Way) features 100-200 billion planets, and our universe features as many as 100 sextillion planets. To put that number in perspective, a sextillion equals one billion trillion (which is 1 with 21 zeros after it). So, 100 sextillion planets is about 1 trillion trillion planets, or 1 with 24 zeros after it. What’s more, that’s only the count of planets in our solar system and doesn’t include the number of stars as well, which are even more numerous than planets.
Our planet alone, Earth, features seven continents. Throughout these continents, there are about 200 countries, 10,000 cities (not counting villages and towns), and 2 million islands. That’s a lot of places, and you can only be in one place at a time.
When a person plans a trip, they must first choose the place or places they are going to visit. They must make their choice from among the 10,000 cities and so many other destinations that exist in the world. Once they choose their destination, they must then decide both how they will get there and how long they will stay. Will they walk or bike? Will they drive, fly, or take a boat or train?
All these places and choices highlight a limitation and weakness we have as humans. We can only be present in one small place at a time. On one hand, this is what makes short-term travel so exciting – because we get to go to new places we haven’t seen before. On the other hand, this is also what makes long-term moves so hard – because we must say good-bye to the people and places we love when we go away to college or move away to take a new job.
As human beings, we can only be in one place at a time. For instance, I am in Moorhead, MN today. But even though that’s true, I am not present everywhere in Moorhead, only at here in the Brookdale Baptist Church building. And even then, I am not present everywhere in this building – I am only present here in the auditorium, on the platform at the front of the auditorium, in whatever small spot I am standing there right now. And when I take steps in any direction, I change my location from one space to another.
But God is not this way. God does not exist only in one place or another at a time. He does not move from one location to another. Therefore, he never needs to travel. Unlike us – and unlike everyone and everything else that exists – God is always present everywhere. We call this special quality of God “omnipresence.”
God is present everywhere.
We know God is present everywhere because that’s what Scripture tells us. Psalm 139:7-10 makes this very clear:
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, 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 fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.
In this psalm, King David asks whether there is anywhere a person can go to get away from God’s presence. The answer to this question is no. Whether a person lives or dies, God is there. Whether a person travels to the far places of the universe or burrows deep into the Earth, God is there. As Wayne Grudem explains:
There is nowhere in the entire universe, on land or sea, in heaven or in hell, where one can flee from God’s presence.
Even if a person flies to the farthest place on the horizon or dives to the deepest, most remote place in the ocean, God is there. No matter how far you go, no matter how fast you travel, and no matter how well you hide [in the darkness], God is there, wherever you are. No one can escape God’s presence because God is everywhere.
God does not have spatial dimensions.
When we say God is present everywhere, we need to be sure we aren’t thinking about him in the wrong way.
When we talk about being present everywhere, we are not saying that part of God is one place and part of him is another place. It’s not as though he is a massive, humungous, invisible giant so large that he has one foot in North and South America, and another foot in Europe and Africa, with his head and shoulders in the sky.
Also, we must realize that God cannot be measured or contained by space, no matter how large. And there is no place where there is more of God or less of God than another. Listen to what King Solomon said about God’s presence (1 Kgs 8:27):
Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
This phrase “the heavens of heavens” refers to the deepest, farthest, highest places in the universe imaginable. And this idea helps us think properly about the presence of God. When we speak about God’s presence everywhere, we must also think about what theologians call the “immensity” of God. This means that not only is God everywhere one way or another but that God is completely and fully everywhere all at once. Listen to how God described himself to the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 23:23-24):
“Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
God contrasts himself with other so-called gods people worship. Other gods are often viewed as a local god who existed in a certain place, such as a shrine or temple, a god who lived among a specific tribe, village, or people group, or else a god who associated with a specific place like a mountain, the ocean, the sky, a planet or star, etc.
But God is not associated with or located in any specific place in some limited, local way. He, instead, is the opposite … he “fills heaven and earth,” which means he exists and occupies every location and place that exists anywhere in the universe all at once. So, you cannot measure God’s size or specify his location. All of him is everywhere, all at once, completely. He is both omnipresent and immense. Said another way, there is no place in the universe where God is not entirely present.
In summary, as we think about God’s omnipresence, we should avoid thinking of him in terms of size and space. Just as God is timeless and cannot be described by or limited by time, so God is without shape and size and cannot be measured in those ways. When we think about God, we should think of a God who is without shape and size and who entirely exists in every place that exists complete and at all times.
God shows his presence differently in different places.
Since God is completely present everywhere and cannot be defined by spatial dimensions, we need to understand another important concept about his presence. Though God is entirely present everywhere, at all times, he does not express his presence the same way to everyone, and we do not experience his presence the same way all the time. Allow me to illustrate what I mean with two statements about the terrible place called ‘hell’ or the “Lake of Fire,” two statements which seem to contradict each other.
These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2 Ths 1:9)
In this first statement, we are told that people who do not believe the gospel message about Jesus (the good news of salvation in Christ) will be punished in a place of everlasting destruction, which is a reference to what we commonly call “hell.” Paul says that this place will be away “from the presence of the Lord.”
But Revelation 14:10 seems to say the opposite thing about God’s presence in this place:
He himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Here, John describes this same place of everlasting punishment as a place that is “in the presence of the Lamb.” So, which is the case? Is God present in hell, the Lake of Fire or not? How can both be true at the same time?
To understand how these two statements about God’s presences are both true at the same time, I need to point out that Rev 14:10 uses a word for “presence” (enopion) which describes actual, spatial presence. So, according to Rev 14:10, yes, God is actually and completely present in hell just as much as in heaven.
I also need to point out that 2 Ths 1:9 uses a different word for “presence” (prosopon), which emphasizes something other than actual, spatial presence. This word emphasizes a person’s face or outward appearance in a special and positive way. It doesn’t just mean that God is there but that he is with you in a smiling, supportive, and beneficial way.
So, when we put these two concepts together, we see two things about the presence of God with people in the place of eternal punishment called ‘hell.’ First, God is actually and completely present there, just as completely as he is present in heaven or anywhere else. Second, though God is completely present in hell, he does not express himself in a smiling, supportive, and beneficial way to people who are there.
So, in summary, then, hell is not a place where God is absent and it is not a place where people are physically or even spiritually separated from God in a literal, personal sense, because God is everywhere completely, including in hell. But hell is a place where God’s presence does not equal God’s favor. As one theologian, Louis Berkhof, explains, Paul (in 2 Ths 1:9) refers to hell as a place with “a total absence of the favor of God.” It is a place not where God is absent but where God’s blessing, favor, and fellowship is absent.
This is entirely different for those who are in heaven, in God’s New Creation for eternity. Those who believe on Christ in this life will “see God’s face” (Rev 22:4). This doesn’t necessarily mean we will see God’s face in a literal sense, for who can see God’s face in the most literal, fullest sense and survive? Instead, it means that we will experience the full, unlimited blessing and favor of God.
Another way of explaining this is to understand that though God is entirely present in both heaven and hell, his presence causes nothing but fear and terror in hell and nothing but blessing and favor in heaven. So, there is nothing different about God’s presence in either place. What is different is how people experience his presence, instead.
So, how do people experience God’s presence today? In a most general sense, every person in existence experiences God’s presence by how he sustains, supports, and holds everything in life together. Here’s how Paul explains this activity of God (Col 1:17):
He is before all things, and in Him all things consist [or ‘are held together’].”
God holds everything together by his power and presence. He is not a God who manages the universe remotely. He manages the world up close, in person, by his presence. In this sense, he is a God who manages the universe in a “hands on way.” He is personally involved in caring for and managing the universe he made – in every place in the universe.
Jesus himself describes this omnipresent care of God (Mt 5:45):
He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
So, God did not make the universe and world then walk away, letting it run by itself without his personal presence and involvement. He created the world and universe, then committed himself to being directly involved to care for and manage the world he made in a personal, present way.
As we go through this life, it is necessary for us to repent of our sins and turn to Christ in faith for salvation. If we do not believe on him as our God and Savior, then we will spend eternity in hell, separated not from God’s presence but from his blessing forever.
But for those who turn to Christ for salvation in this life, we will spend eternity in God’s complete and unlimited favor, as King David described (Psa 16:6):
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
But until then, we have this amazing promise from Jesus himself (Mt 28:20):
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Here Christ promises that those who follow him by faith will experience his presence in a very special, personal, and powerful way in this life, especially when we are serving and being a witness for him.
So, what does the omnipresence of God mean for our lives today?
That God is entirely present everywhere brings help and hope to us when we have to undergo big moves and change of location. When a grown child moves out of their childhood home, either into their own home or away to college. When a person or family has to move to a new and distant location due to a change of employment. When a person moves to a new place in the world as a missionary or due to immigration. Whatever the reason for the big move may be, knowing that God is entirely present wherever you go brings great comfort and peace to our anxious, fearful heart.
That God is entirely present everywhere also brings help and hope to us when we experience loneliness and isolation. When we understand the omnipresence of God, we know that we are never truly alone. Even in the darkest places and spaces of our lives, God is there. As David wrote in Psa 23:4:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
No matter how abandoned, afraid, isolated, or lonely you may be, you are never alone for God is completely there, to comfort, strengthen, and guide you.
That God is entirely present everywhere also brings accountability for our behavior. As the theologian Herman Bavinck helpfully explains:
When you wish to do something evil, you retire from the public into your house where no enemy may see you; from those places of your house which are open and visible to the eyes of men you remove yourself into your room; even in your room you fear some witness from another quarter; you retire into your heart, there you meditate: he is more inward than your heart. Wherever, therefore, you shall have fled, there he is. From yourself, whither will you flee? Will you not follow yourself wherever you shall flee? But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place where you may flee from God angry but to God reconciled. There is no place at all whither you may flee. Will you flee from him? Flee unto him.
So, not only does God’s presence encourage us in our times of unwanted loneliness, but it also motivates us to do right in our times of temptation, encouraging greater integrity. As Prov 15:3 teaches:
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Finally, that God is entirely present everywhere also calls us to worship God frequently throughout our lives. Though we experience God’s presence in a special way when we gather together as a church, a way not possible by ourselves, we also know that God’s presence does not exist in a church building any more or less than it exists anywhere else. This means that we can and should express worship to God not only when we gather as a church (something God tells us to do), but also throughout our daily lives.
Scripture reading and prayer in the morning, songs of worship and prayers throughout the day, and times of prayer and reflection in the evening. Wherever you are, wherever you go, God is fully present with you, right there, in every moment – for you to lean upon, look to, and most of all – to worship.
Distance, loneliness, and separation from people and places we love is one of the difficult and painful experiences of being a human, and our poems and songs express this. In 1989, for instance, American musician Richard Marx released a song called “Right Here Waiting,” which became a top hit globally. Marx wrote this song to express how much he missed his wife, who had traveled from America to South Africa for a movie recording project. The opening lyrics and chorus say this:
Oceans apart, day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn't stop the pain
If I see you next to never
Then how can we say forever?
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
These words reflect how we often feel ourselves. But the remarkable thing is that God is never separated from us by distance. Wherever we go, wherever we are, he isn’t ever somewhere else waiting for us to return. He is right there with us all along the journey, even in our darkest, loneliest hour.
If you’re interested in a reflecting on the truth of God’s presence in a more deep and personal way, I would recommend to you two songs to add to your playlist.
Both of these songs are very close adaptations of the words of Psalm 139:7-10, actually, which makes them especially encouraging and inspiring in a biblical, godly way, esp. if you are experiencing the pain of distance, temptation, or loneliness.
No matter where you find yourself today—whether facing the unknowns of a new adventure, the ache of loneliness, or the quiet moments of temptation—God is right there with you if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. He is not a distant God, watching from afar, but a loving Father, fully present in every corner of your life, ready to comfort, guide, and strengthen you.
As you leave this place, carry this assurance: you are never alone. When the road feels long, when the shadows grow dark, or when you’re tempted to stray, remember that God’s presence surrounds you, upholding you with His everlasting arms. Let His nearness inspire you to worship Him in every moment, to seek His face in prayer, and to live with integrity, knowing His eyes are always upon you with love and grace.
And if you have not yet turned to Christ to trust him as your God and Savior and do not yet have the promise that he is with you always, may you turn to him in faith today so that in addition to his full and complete forgiveness of sins you may also enjoy his full and comforting presence for the rest of your life on Earth and into eternity.
Our solar system features 8 planets, our galaxy (the Milky Way) features 100-200 billion planets, and our universe features as many as 100 sextillion planets. To put that number in perspective, a sextillion equals one billion trillion (which is 1 with 21 zeros after it). So, 100 sextillion planets is about 1 trillion trillion planets, or 1 with 24 zeros after it. What’s more, that’s only the count of planets in our solar system and doesn’t include the number of stars as well, which are even more numerous than planets.
Our planet alone, Earth, features seven continents. Throughout these continents, there are about 200 countries, 10,000 cities (not counting villages and towns), and 2 million islands. That’s a lot of places, and you can only be in one place at a time.
When a person plans a trip, they must first choose the place or places they are going to visit. They must make their choice from among the 10,000 cities and so many other destinations that exist in the world. Once they choose their destination, they must then decide both how they will get there and how long they will stay. Will they walk or bike? Will they drive, fly, or take a boat or train?
All these places and choices highlight a limitation and weakness we have as humans. We can only be present in one small place at a time. On one hand, this is what makes short-term travel so exciting – because we get to go to new places we haven’t seen before. On the other hand, this is also what makes long-term moves so hard – because we must say good-bye to the people and places we love when we go away to college or move away to take a new job.
As human beings, we can only be in one place at a time. For instance, I am in Moorhead, MN today. But even though that’s true, I am not present everywhere in Moorhead, only at here in the Brookdale Baptist Church building. And even then, I am not present everywhere in this building – I am only present here in the auditorium, on the platform at the front of the auditorium, in whatever small spot I am standing there right now. And when I take steps in any direction, I change my location from one space to another.
But God is not this way. God does not exist only in one place or another at a time. He does not move from one location to another. Therefore, he never needs to travel. Unlike us – and unlike everyone and everything else that exists – God is always present everywhere. We call this special quality of God “omnipresence.”
God is present everywhere.
We know God is present everywhere because that’s what Scripture tells us. Psalm 139:7-10 makes this very clear:
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, 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 fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.
In this psalm, King David asks whether there is anywhere a person can go to get away from God’s presence. The answer to this question is no. Whether a person lives or dies, God is there. Whether a person travels to the far places of the universe or burrows deep into the Earth, God is there. As Wayne Grudem explains:
There is nowhere in the entire universe, on land or sea, in heaven or in hell, where one can flee from God’s presence.
Even if a person flies to the farthest place on the horizon or dives to the deepest, most remote place in the ocean, God is there. No matter how far you go, no matter how fast you travel, and no matter how well you hide [in the darkness], God is there, wherever you are. No one can escape God’s presence because God is everywhere.
God does not have spatial dimensions.
When we say God is present everywhere, we need to be sure we aren’t thinking about him in the wrong way.
When we talk about being present everywhere, we are not saying that part of God is one place and part of him is another place. It’s not as though he is a massive, humungous, invisible giant so large that he has one foot in North and South America, and another foot in Europe and Africa, with his head and shoulders in the sky.
Also, we must realize that God cannot be measured or contained by space, no matter how large. And there is no place where there is more of God or less of God than another. Listen to what King Solomon said about God’s presence (1 Kgs 8:27):
Will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!
This phrase “the heavens of heavens” refers to the deepest, farthest, highest places in the universe imaginable. And this idea helps us think properly about the presence of God. When we speak about God’s presence everywhere, we must also think about what theologians call the “immensity” of God. This means that not only is God everywhere one way or another but that God is completely and fully everywhere all at once. Listen to how God described himself to the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 23:23-24):
“Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?” says the Lord; “do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.
God contrasts himself with other so-called gods people worship. Other gods are often viewed as a local god who existed in a certain place, such as a shrine or temple, a god who lived among a specific tribe, village, or people group, or else a god who associated with a specific place like a mountain, the ocean, the sky, a planet or star, etc.
But God is not associated with or located in any specific place in some limited, local way. He, instead, is the opposite … he “fills heaven and earth,” which means he exists and occupies every location and place that exists anywhere in the universe all at once. So, you cannot measure God’s size or specify his location. All of him is everywhere, all at once, completely. He is both omnipresent and immense. Said another way, there is no place in the universe where God is not entirely present.
In summary, as we think about God’s omnipresence, we should avoid thinking of him in terms of size and space. Just as God is timeless and cannot be described by or limited by time, so God is without shape and size and cannot be measured in those ways. When we think about God, we should think of a God who is without shape and size and who entirely exists in every place that exists complete and at all times.
God shows his presence differently in different places.
Since God is completely present everywhere and cannot be defined by spatial dimensions, we need to understand another important concept about his presence. Though God is entirely present everywhere, at all times, he does not express his presence the same way to everyone, and we do not experience his presence the same way all the time. Allow me to illustrate what I mean with two statements about the terrible place called ‘hell’ or the “Lake of Fire,” two statements which seem to contradict each other.
These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2 Ths 1:9)
In this first statement, we are told that people who do not believe the gospel message about Jesus (the good news of salvation in Christ) will be punished in a place of everlasting destruction, which is a reference to what we commonly call “hell.” Paul says that this place will be away “from the presence of the Lord.”
But Revelation 14:10 seems to say the opposite thing about God’s presence in this place:
He himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Here, John describes this same place of everlasting punishment as a place that is “in the presence of the Lamb.” So, which is the case? Is God present in hell, the Lake of Fire or not? How can both be true at the same time?
To understand how these two statements about God’s presences are both true at the same time, I need to point out that Rev 14:10 uses a word for “presence” (enopion) which describes actual, spatial presence. So, according to Rev 14:10, yes, God is actually and completely present in hell just as much as in heaven.
I also need to point out that 2 Ths 1:9 uses a different word for “presence” (prosopon), which emphasizes something other than actual, spatial presence. This word emphasizes a person’s face or outward appearance in a special and positive way. It doesn’t just mean that God is there but that he is with you in a smiling, supportive, and beneficial way.
So, when we put these two concepts together, we see two things about the presence of God with people in the place of eternal punishment called ‘hell.’ First, God is actually and completely present there, just as completely as he is present in heaven or anywhere else. Second, though God is completely present in hell, he does not express himself in a smiling, supportive, and beneficial way to people who are there.
So, in summary, then, hell is not a place where God is absent and it is not a place where people are physically or even spiritually separated from God in a literal, personal sense, because God is everywhere completely, including in hell. But hell is a place where God’s presence does not equal God’s favor. As one theologian, Louis Berkhof, explains, Paul (in 2 Ths 1:9) refers to hell as a place with “a total absence of the favor of God.” It is a place not where God is absent but where God’s blessing, favor, and fellowship is absent.
This is entirely different for those who are in heaven, in God’s New Creation for eternity. Those who believe on Christ in this life will “see God’s face” (Rev 22:4). This doesn’t necessarily mean we will see God’s face in a literal sense, for who can see God’s face in the most literal, fullest sense and survive? Instead, it means that we will experience the full, unlimited blessing and favor of God.
Another way of explaining this is to understand that though God is entirely present in both heaven and hell, his presence causes nothing but fear and terror in hell and nothing but blessing and favor in heaven. So, there is nothing different about God’s presence in either place. What is different is how people experience his presence, instead.
So, how do people experience God’s presence today? In a most general sense, every person in existence experiences God’s presence by how he sustains, supports, and holds everything in life together. Here’s how Paul explains this activity of God (Col 1:17):
He is before all things, and in Him all things consist [or ‘are held together’].”
God holds everything together by his power and presence. He is not a God who manages the universe remotely. He manages the world up close, in person, by his presence. In this sense, he is a God who manages the universe in a “hands on way.” He is personally involved in caring for and managing the universe he made – in every place in the universe.
Jesus himself describes this omnipresent care of God (Mt 5:45):
He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
So, God did not make the universe and world then walk away, letting it run by itself without his personal presence and involvement. He created the world and universe, then committed himself to being directly involved to care for and manage the world he made in a personal, present way.
As we go through this life, it is necessary for us to repent of our sins and turn to Christ in faith for salvation. If we do not believe on him as our God and Savior, then we will spend eternity in hell, separated not from God’s presence but from his blessing forever.
But for those who turn to Christ for salvation in this life, we will spend eternity in God’s complete and unlimited favor, as King David described (Psa 16:6):
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
But until then, we have this amazing promise from Jesus himself (Mt 28:20):
I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Here Christ promises that those who follow him by faith will experience his presence in a very special, personal, and powerful way in this life, especially when we are serving and being a witness for him.
So, what does the omnipresence of God mean for our lives today?
That God is entirely present everywhere brings help and hope to us when we have to undergo big moves and change of location. When a grown child moves out of their childhood home, either into their own home or away to college. When a person or family has to move to a new and distant location due to a change of employment. When a person moves to a new place in the world as a missionary or due to immigration. Whatever the reason for the big move may be, knowing that God is entirely present wherever you go brings great comfort and peace to our anxious, fearful heart.
That God is entirely present everywhere also brings help and hope to us when we experience loneliness and isolation. When we understand the omnipresence of God, we know that we are never truly alone. Even in the darkest places and spaces of our lives, God is there. As David wrote in Psa 23:4:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
No matter how abandoned, afraid, isolated, or lonely you may be, you are never alone for God is completely there, to comfort, strengthen, and guide you.
That God is entirely present everywhere also brings accountability for our behavior. As the theologian Herman Bavinck helpfully explains:
When you wish to do something evil, you retire from the public into your house where no enemy may see you; from those places of your house which are open and visible to the eyes of men you remove yourself into your room; even in your room you fear some witness from another quarter; you retire into your heart, there you meditate: he is more inward than your heart. Wherever, therefore, you shall have fled, there he is. From yourself, whither will you flee? Will you not follow yourself wherever you shall flee? But since there is One more inward even than yourself, there is no place where you may flee from God angry but to God reconciled. There is no place at all whither you may flee. Will you flee from him? Flee unto him.
So, not only does God’s presence encourage us in our times of unwanted loneliness, but it also motivates us to do right in our times of temptation, encouraging greater integrity. As Prov 15:3 teaches:
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
Finally, that God is entirely present everywhere also calls us to worship God frequently throughout our lives. Though we experience God’s presence in a special way when we gather together as a church, a way not possible by ourselves, we also know that God’s presence does not exist in a church building any more or less than it exists anywhere else. This means that we can and should express worship to God not only when we gather as a church (something God tells us to do), but also throughout our daily lives.
Scripture reading and prayer in the morning, songs of worship and prayers throughout the day, and times of prayer and reflection in the evening. Wherever you are, wherever you go, God is fully present with you, right there, in every moment – for you to lean upon, look to, and most of all – to worship.
Distance, loneliness, and separation from people and places we love is one of the difficult and painful experiences of being a human, and our poems and songs express this. In 1989, for instance, American musician Richard Marx released a song called “Right Here Waiting,” which became a top hit globally. Marx wrote this song to express how much he missed his wife, who had traveled from America to South Africa for a movie recording project. The opening lyrics and chorus say this:
Oceans apart, day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn't stop the pain
If I see you next to never
Then how can we say forever?
Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you
These words reflect how we often feel ourselves. But the remarkable thing is that God is never separated from us by distance. Wherever we go, wherever we are, he isn’t ever somewhere else waiting for us to return. He is right there with us all along the journey, even in our darkest, loneliest hour.
If you’re interested in a reflecting on the truth of God’s presence in a more deep and personal way, I would recommend to you two songs to add to your playlist.
- Where Can I Go? (Jason Silver)
- Where Can I Go? (Ellie Holcomb)
Both of these songs are very close adaptations of the words of Psalm 139:7-10, actually, which makes them especially encouraging and inspiring in a biblical, godly way, esp. if you are experiencing the pain of distance, temptation, or loneliness.
No matter where you find yourself today—whether facing the unknowns of a new adventure, the ache of loneliness, or the quiet moments of temptation—God is right there with you if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. He is not a distant God, watching from afar, but a loving Father, fully present in every corner of your life, ready to comfort, guide, and strengthen you.
As you leave this place, carry this assurance: you are never alone. When the road feels long, when the shadows grow dark, or when you’re tempted to stray, remember that God’s presence surrounds you, upholding you with His everlasting arms. Let His nearness inspire you to worship Him in every moment, to seek His face in prayer, and to live with integrity, knowing His eyes are always upon you with love and grace.
And if you have not yet turned to Christ to trust him as your God and Savior and do not yet have the promise that he is with you always, may you turn to him in faith today so that in addition to his full and complete forgiveness of sins you may also enjoy his full and comforting presence for the rest of your life on Earth and into eternity.
Posted in Sermon Manuscript
Posted in Incomparable, Theology, Theology Proper, Doctrine, Omnipresence
Posted in Incomparable, Theology, Theology Proper, Doctrine, Omnipresence
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