Inscribe the Word . . . The Omnipresent God.
Happy March! It is an exciting month as we begin Part Three in our Attributes of God Series. This year, Inscribe the Word is taking a twelve-part journey through the attributes of God and we are excited for you to join us.
If you are just joining Inscribe the Word for the first time . . . WELCOME!
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Last month, we studied EL SHADDAI: The Omnipotent God. This month we study The OMNIPRESENT GOD. If you have just joined us know that you do not have to study these attributes in order. Jump in at any time. You will be blessed!
There is no “EL” name for God’s Omnipresence. You can say to “EL ROI”, The God Who Sees or “EL SHAMA”, The God Who Hears. This month, we will explore God’s Presence through the Bible and see that He alone is OMNIPRESENT. Omni- originates in Latin and means “all.” To say God is OMNIPRESENT is to say He is everywhere at once. Let's begin this months Inscribe the Word . . .
WHAT OMNIPRESENCE IS:
If you study a list of God's attributes, you will often see "OMNIPRESENCE" on that list. God's omnipotence is the fact that He is everywhere at once. His presence fills creation.
Charles Spurgeon describes God's Omnipotence like this . . .
GOD is everywhere. HIS circumference is nowhere, but HIS center is everywhere.
I heard the story of a man, a blasphemer, profane, an atheist, who was converted singularly by a sinful action of his.
He had written on a piece of paper, “God is nowhere,” and ordered his child to read it, for he would make him an atheist too. The child spelled it, “GOD is n-o-w h-e-r-e—GOD is now here.” It was a truth instead of a lie, and the arrow pierced the man’s own heart.
Isn’t that fantastic? Out of the mouth of babes!
GOD IS NOW HERE.
This is the meaning of Omnipresence.
We've spent time studying EL OLAM, the Eternal God and EL SHADDAI, The Omnipotent God. As we grow in our understaning of the Character of God, we see that He is not only eternal and He is not only all-powerful, but He is, was, and will forever be HERE . . . Omnipresent . . . God with us!
What Omnipresence is not:
God’s Omnipresence is not pantheism. “Pantheism is the view that God is everything and everyone and that everyone and everything is God. Pantheism is similar to polytheism (the belief in many gods), but goes beyond polytheism to teach that everything is God. A tree is God, a rock is God, an animal is God, the sky is God, the sun is God, you are God, etc. Pantheism is the supposition behind many cults and false religions (e.g., Hinduism and Buddhism to an extent, the various unity and unification cults, and “mother nature” worshippers).
Does the Bible teach pantheism? No, it does not. What many people confuse as pantheism is the doctrine of God’s omnipresence.” (Source)
GOD’S OMNIPRESENCE vs. MANIFEST PRESENCE:
God’s omnipresence is His attribute of being everywhere at once. He is omnipresent even when we do not experience His presence; He is here, even if we do not recognize Him. God’s manifest presence is, of course, His presence made manifest—the fact that He is with us is made clear and convincing. (Source)
In this study, we will observe Scriptures where God’s omnipresence is evident:
“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!” - Psalm 139:7–8
We will also observe where He makes His manifest presence felt and known:
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” - Daniel 3:24–25
"The Scriptures teach that God is infinite. This means that His being knows no limits. Therefore there can be no limit to His presence; He is omnipresent. In His infinitude He surrounds the finite creation and contains it. There is no place beyond Him for anything to be. God is our environment as the sea is to the fish and the air to the bird.
"God is over all things," wrote Hildebert of Lavardin, "under all things; outside all; within but not enclosed; without but not excluded; above but not raised up; below but not depressed; wholly above, presiding; wholly beneath, sustaining; wholly within, filling." - A.W. Tozer
As you study THE OMNIPRESENCE OF GOD this month, remember the Lord is here. He is near. He is right beside you. He will never leave you or forsake you. This is our God. This is our King.
I pray that this study blesses you and I cannot wait to see God manifest His omnipresence in your life.
