What does it mean to say that God is omnipresent?
Have you ever felt utterly alone? Like no one gets it, and you're all by yourself? Here's something that will blow you away: You've never, not for a moment, been alone. There is Someone with you in every moment - in your peak successes and in your deepest failures. Today, we're tackling one of the most mind-stretching yet reassuring truths about God - His omnipresence. And I assure you, when you get it, it will change the way you pray, the way you navigate temptation, and the way you navigate the most difficult times in your life.
Welcome Back
Welcome to Word for Word, I'm Austin Duncan, and I'm excited to have you here with me today as we take on one of those things about God that will make your head hurt a little bit - in a good way. We're discussing the question: "What does it mean to say that God is omnipresent?"
Now, before we get into it, I want to tell you a quick story. I was talking a number of years ago with a friend of mine who was having a tough time. Lost his job, his marriage was not good, and he felt God had abandoned him. He said something to me that stuck in my head: "Austin, I pray and I pray, and it feels as if my prayers are just ricocheting off the ceiling. Where is God when I need Him most?" Perhaps you've felt that way too. Perhaps you're feeling that way right now. Well, today's we’re going to address that feeling, because the reality about God's omnipresence is not just some abstract theological…thing; it's a life-changer for how we walk every day.
Understanding Omnipresence: More Than Just "God Is Everywhere"
When we affirm God is omnipresent, we're affirming a whole lot more than just that God is everywhere. I mean, that's true, and yet, it's like affirming the ocean is wet - true, but oh, there's more to it. The term omnipresent has two parts: "omni," which is all, and "present," which is, well, present. God's omnipresence is that He is completely, personally present everywhere and yet separate from His creation. Let me parse that carefully.
First, God is completely present. Not partially, not stretched thin like butter on too great a quantity of bread. All of God is completely present at every point in space. When you're praying at home in your bedroom, you don't receive 1/7 billionth of God's attention while a portion of Him is split among all the other people on the Earth. You have all of Him.
I love how one theologian explained it - God isn't going to have to divide His attention like a parent at a game of little league baseball with three children playing on different teams. You know that harried parent, watching over Johnny at bat, keeping an eye on Susie in the outfield, and checking on little Timmy to prevent him from consuming dirt in the dugout? Not God. God is able to give His undivided, whole attention to every one of His children at the same time.
Second, God is personally present. Not some cosmic force or energy field a la Star Wars. A personal God, one who knows your name, who is concerned about your hardship, who is involved in your life. Not the god of the philosophers - some prime mover or abstract unrevealed deity. But the God who speaks, as in, "I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1).
Third, He is distinct from creation. That is important because it distinguishes biblical Christianity from pantheism - the theological position that everything is God. God saturates everything, but not everything is the same as God. As A.W. Tozer described it, God inhabits His creation and is everywhere indivisibly present in all His works.
Let me try to give you an example that may be helpful. You're baking bread (I know, I know, bear with me here). You add water to flour, and the water pervades every crumb of dough. The water is throughout the bread, yet the water is not flour, and the flour is not water. They are still separate from one another even while pervading one another. Now, that is not a precise analogy - no analogy for God is - but it gives us a place to begin in comprehending how God is able to pervade all of creation and still be separate from it.
The Biblical Foundation: What Scripture Actually Says
Now, I don't want you to take my word for it. Let's find out for ourselves what God has to say about His presence. And friends, the Bible is crystal clear on this. In fact, from Genesis through Revelation, Scripture is consistent in its teachings that God is omnipresent. Let me begin with one of my favorite verses, Jeremiah 23:23-24, in which God poses some rhetorical questions:
“Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God far away? 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.”
Some context here, since context is king when we're interpreting Scripture. Jeremiah is confronting false prophets. These guys are standing up and yelling, "Thus says the Lord!" and speaking utter garbage. They believed they could lie in the name of God and get away with it. Perhaps they reasoned, "Hey, God is preoccupied with the worship at the temple. He's not watching what we're doing out in the marketplace." Can you sense the tone in God's tone here? It is as if He is saying, "Really? You think you are hidden from me? You think I only notice when you are in worship?" The context here is God calling out false prophets who were thinking they were hiding things from God. They believed they could fool people in the marketplace and God would not see. God's rejoinder? "I fill heaven and earth." That phrase, "I fill heaven and earth" - in the Hebrew, it is even more forceful than it is in English. God is basically saying, "Every cubic inch of the universe is filled with My presence." There's not a corner of creation where God is not.
But let's make this personal. Turn with me to Psalm chapter 139, verses 7 through 10. Here's King David, and notice how intimate this becomes:
“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 dawn and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”
I love the fact that David is essentially having a thought experiment here. He's posing a question, essentially, of, "Is there someplace I would be able to go in order to escape from God?" And then he begins working through the possibilities.
Heaven: Well, that's God's throne room, so obviously He's there.
Sheol: The place of the dead? Even there, God is present.
What if I could get a ride on the dawn itself - you know, catch on those early morning rays of sunshine and ride them out to the farthest ocean? David assures me even there, God would be my guide. And see, David isn't complaining about this. David isn't like Jonah, you know, actually running from God. David's amazed! David is awestruck! It's like he's saying, "No matter where I go in this life, my God is ahead of me, waiting for me."
The psalm goes on in verses 11-12:
“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”
Do you get how that works? There is no hiding in the dark. That hidden sin you think you've managed to keep from anyone? God sees it as plain as if it were displayed in Times Square on the jumbotron. But reverse that - that darkest of nights of the soul you're experiencing? God sees through the darkness. He's with you in your midnight just as in your noon.
Then there is Solomon. Oh, Solomon. The fellow constructs the most grandiose of temples the world had yet seen. We're talking gold from floor to ceiling, precious stones, the best workmanship. It took seven years to construct, thousands of workers, and cost more than we have any way of reckoning in modern currency.
Then, during the ceremony of dedication, in the presence of all Israel, Solomon utters this extremely meaningful prayer in 1 Kings 8:27:
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built!”
I admire how humble Solomon is here. He just constructed the most amazing temple the world has yet seen, and he's essentially saying, "Sure, yeah, I know the whole universe can't hold You, God. But this structure will do, surely!" Really think what Solomon is saying. The highest heaven – not merely our atmosphere, not merely outer space, but the highest spiritual domain – even that is not big enough to encompass God. Were you to journey to the outer edge of the universe (assuming that exists at all) and proceed into whatever is beyond that, you still would not reach the edges of God's presence.
Let's move into the New Testament. Paul is in Acts chapter 17, and he is in Athens, the seat of learning for the ancient world. There he is standing on Mars Hill, ringed by philosophers who took pride in their advanced ideas. And what does Paul announce to them?
Beginning in verse 24, Paul states,
“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
Now read with me in verses 27-28:
“that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for
“‘In him we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’”
This is fantastic evangelizing by Paul. He is using their own poets to establish a biblical truth. The Athenians have constructed temples to every deity they could think of, and one to an unknown god in case they forgot any. They believed the temples housed the gods. Paul is essentially saying, "I'll tell you about the true God. He is not in a box. You are literally in His presence. You cannot take a breath and not do it in God's presence." And think about that phrase: "In Him we live and move and have our being." We live in God's presence, whether we want to or not. A fish could be removed from water, but we can never be removed from God's presence. We live in the atmosphere of God.
And, of course, we shouldn’t forget Jesus' promise in Matthew 28:19-20:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Context plays into it as well. Jesus has just given the Great Commission – go make disciples of all the nations. That is a big job! The disciples are probably wondering, "Wait, You're leaving, and You're expecting us to go out and give Your message to the whole world? How are we going to do that?" And he responds to their implied fear: "I am with you always." Not, "I’ll think about you." Not, "I’ll drop by to see you from time to time." But, "I am with you always, until the end of the age." Now, think about this - only God is able to make this kind of promise. There is no earthly leader, regardless of how powerful, able to offer to be with every believer everywhere. When Alexander sent his generals out to conquer various regions of the world, he couldn't accompany all of them. But Jesus is able to, since He is God, and God is omnipresent. The term "always" in Greek is literally "all the days." Every single day, every single one, until the end of the age. That is, Jesus is with you on your best days and worst days. He's with you when you're close to God and when God feels a million miles away. He's with you when you're serving Him faithfully and when you're filled with doubt. All of the days.
Common Misconceptions: What Omnipresence Is Not
Now, before we proceed, we have to settle some misunderstanding. Because when we say, "God is everywhere," people sometimes get the wrong idea. I want to speak to four major misunderstandings I hear continually.
Misconception #1: "So Everything Is God?" (The Pantheism Problem)
This is enormous, particularly since New Age philosophy is now mainstream. When they hear that "God is everywhere," they think, "Oh, therefore that tree is God? My coffee cup is God? I am God?"
No, no, and definitely no.
It's a confusion that has existed for centuries. One of the oldest theological falsehoods, in fact. The Hindu vision of Brahman talks about, for example, that everything is sacred, the universe is God's own body, we are all merely shards of this divine mind.
But biblical omnipresence differs from pantheism. The Bible says that God is present to all of creation, yet God exists separately from creation. Here is how: just as water saturates a sponge, yet the sponge is not water, God is present throughout creation, yet is separate from creation. Genesis 1:1 makes it absolutely clear:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
Look carefully at the difference - God is the creator, heaven and earth are the creation. They're not identical. God preceded creation and would still exist should creation end. He's not included in creation; He's the Creator that exists with creation. Paul addresses this explicitly in Romans 1:25 when he describes the root sin of humanity:
"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator."
That is precisely what pantheism does - it makes creation into God, and that is idolatrous. If pantheism is correct, evil is a part of God. That tumor is God. That abuse of a child is God. That disaster is God. But the Bible describes a holy God separate from evil, judging evil, who will eventually do away with evil. Also, if you're a pantheist, then you're God, and you're on your own in regards to salvation. Good luck with that! But the Bible describes a God who is different than we are, who comes down and saves us because we can’t save ourselves.
Misconception #2: "God Made the World and Then Left" (The Deism Problem)
At the other extreme, some imagine God as a clockmaker who set the universe in motion and took off for a vacation. Such a view, also referred to as deism, flourished during the Enlightenment, and for that matter, lots of people nowadays practice a sort of practical deism. The deist agrees, "Yes, God did create everything. But now He is remote, uninvolved, and allows the universe to operate in accordance with natural law." Thomas Jefferson was a deist. Literally, he clipped out all the miracles from his Bible since he did not believe God intervened in the world.
But the Bible shows not an absentee landlord, an intimately present God, intimately involved in His creation every step of the way. Remember what Paul wrote?
"In Him we live and move and have our being."
That's present tense, ongoing action. Right now, this moment, you are here by virtue of God sustaining you. In Colossians 1:17, Christ is said to
"hold together all things."
The Greek term is "sunistemi," which is to cause to cohere, to gather together into a whole. Imagine God as the force keeping every atom, every molecule, every cell in the universe in working relation. If God did in fact step away for a nanosecond, creation would not decline slowly as an unattended clock - creation would cease to exist in an instant. Hebrews 1:3 is saying the same thing: Christ is
"upholding the universe by the word of his power."
Not the past, He upheld. But present, ongoing - He is upholding. Right now. This moment. Consider what that implies. That breath you just inhaled? God held together the molecules of oxygen, kept your lungs going, regulated the air pressure, and managed the whole complicated process of breathing. And that's done for every breathing animal on the planet at the same time. That is not a distant God! The god of the deist is a CEO who founded a company and retired to Tahiti. But the God of the biblical tradition is a musician who has to play in order for the music to persist. Stop playing, and the music stops instantly.
Misconception #3: "God Is Spread Out Like Cosmic Peanut Butter"
This one's a slightly more subtle misconception. Some imagine God's omnipresence as if the universe is filled with Him - more in some areas, less in others. Such that, for example, God is more in a church building than in a nightclub. Or God has to stretch Himself to get from here to there.
I actually had a person ask me, "If the universe is expanding, will God need to expand in order to catch up?" That question illustrates this misconception exactly. They're imagining God as a material that needs to expand in order to encompass space. God is not a substance that spreads thin. God is spirit (John 4:24), not substance, and has no body to expand to cover ground. As theologian Paul Little wrote,
"God is not like a substance spread out in a thin layer all over the earth – all of Him is in Chicago, in Calcutta, in Cairo, and in Caracas at one and the same time."
Think about this: if ten thousand people around the world pray at the exact same moment, does each person get 1/10,000th of God's attention? Absolutely not! Each one has God's full attention. Unlike a human parent at a busy playground trying to watch multiple kids ("Don't eat that! Get down from there! Stop hitting your sister!"), our heavenly Father can attend to each of us as if we were the only one in the world. Augustine addressed this misconception in the fourth century. He cautioned against conceiving of God as air or light, which is thinner when expanded over a greater space. As opposed to physical substances, which become less dense when they are expanded, God's spiritual nature is not diluted or divided.
Look at a broadcast on a radio. The same signal is completely present in all radios within range. It matters not whether an individual or a million are listening, for both get the whole signal. The signal is not reduced by more and more people listening. God is, of course, infinitely more than a broadcast signal, but you get the point. God's presence is not reduced by distance or split among receivers. Indeed, it is more appropriate to consider that space exists in God rather than God exists in space. Paul suggests this in Acts 17 when he writes,
"in Him we live and move and have our being."
We are not merely in the presence of God; we are in the reality of God.
Misconception #4: "God's Presence Is Just an Impersonal Force"
Lastly, some people downsize God's omnipresence to a sort of "the Force" from the movie Star Wars - an impersonal energy field that pervades everything yet exists with no personality, no thoughts, no feelings.
This is extremely prevalent in our culture.
They'll say things such as, "I don't believe in institutional religion, but I believe in a higher power." Or, "I felt the universe talking to me." Or, "I'm spiritual, not religious." What they typically are referring to is that they believe in some sort of force or energy. But the God of the Bible is a deeply personal One. The Bible repeatedly characterizes God with attributes we think of as personal:
He thinks,
He feels,
He decides,
He relates.
He employs personal pronouns.
He has a name.
He enters into covenant.
He is angry,
He is merciful,
He loves intensely.
When David speaks in Psalm 139, when he says, "Where shall I flee from Your presence?" he's not referring to fleeing an energy field. He's referring to a close, personal God who is familiar to him, loving, and involved in his life. Observe the personal vocabulary all throughout that psalm:
"You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up."
The final evidence of God's personhood. The omnipresent God took on a human form in Jesus Christ. An impersonal force cannot become a person. Energy cannot become flesh. But the personal God could and did. This is huge when it comes to how we relate to God. You don't relate to an impersonal force. You don't pray to an energy field. You don't worship a cosmic consciousness. You are, however, able to know, love, and be loved by a personal God who is with you.
The Deep Dive: How Can God Be Everywhere?
Now, I know some of you are thinking, "Okay Austin, but how? How can God be everywhere at once? My brain can't compute this." Welcome to the club! We're trying to understand the infinite with finite minds. It's like trying to download the entire internet onto a flip phone. But let's think through this together, because while we can't fully comprehend it, we can apprehend it - we can grasp enough to marvel and worship.
Augustine warned that we must not imagine God as a giant spirit stretched out like air or light, with different "parts" in different places. God's mode of being is completely different from ours. God doesn't have parts. Theologians call this divine simplicity - God is not composed of pieces that can be divided up.
Here's an analogy that might help. Think about your own consciousness. When you stub your toe, where do you feel the pain? In your toe, right? But your consciousness isn't located in your toe. Your mind is somehow present throughout your body without being physically spread out. If someone asks, "Where are you?" you don't say, "Part of me is in my left hand, part in my right foot." You're present throughout your body as a unified self.
Now, that's not a perfect analogy - no analogy for God ever is - but it gives us a tiny glimpse of how a non-physical reality can be present without being divided into parts.
Some theologians describe it this way: We exist in space, but space exists in God. It's not that God squeezes Himself into the universe; the universe exists within the reality of God. As Isaiah 66:1 says poetically, "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool." The universe is like a tiny bubble floating in the infinite ocean of God's being.
Think about the implications of that. When scientists discover a new galaxy billions of light-years away, they're not finding a place where God isn't. They're discovering more of the creation that exists within God's presence. If there are other dimensions beyond our three spatial dimensions, God is fully present in those too. If there are parallel universes (and that's a big if), they would exist within God's presence.
And here's something that'll really bake your noodle: Because God isn't divisible, all of His attributes are present wherever He is. That means His love is omnipresent, His justice is omnipresent, His mercy is omnipresent. Wherever God is - which is everywhere - all of God is there.
This is why theologians talk about the simplicity of God. God's attributes aren't parts of God that can be separated. You can't have God's love in one place without His holiness, or His mercy without His justice. Where God is present, He is present in the fullness of His being.
Let me push this a bit further. Time is part of creation too. So God isn't just omnipresent in space; He's omnipresent in time. Past, present, and future are all "now" to God. This is why God can declare "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). He's already there at the end, just as He's still present at the beginning.
This helps explain how Jesus could say "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). He wasn't just claiming to be older than Abraham; He was claiming to exist in an eternal present that encompasses all of time.
The Trinity and Omnipresence
Now, here's where it gets even more mind-blowingNow, I know some of you are wondering, "Okay Austin, but HOW? How can God be everywhere at the same time? My mind just cannot compute this!"
Welcome to the club! We're grappling with the infinite using finite brains. It's a bit like attempting to download the whole of the internet on a flip phone. But think about it with me, for although we will never get it, we may grasp it – we may grasp as much as we need in order to be awed and worship.
Augustine cautioned not to picture God as a giant spirit stretched out as a kind of air or light, and having different "parts" in different locations. God exists in a completely different way than we do. God isn't a divided thing, having parts. Theologians refer to this as the simplicity of God – God isn't built up of pieces you can parcel out.
Consider an analogy that may be helpful. Reflect on your own consciousness. Where do you perceive pain when you stub your toe? In your toe, isn’t it? But your consciousness is not in your toe. Your mind somehow exists in your entire body and is not extended. When you are asked, "Where are you?" you don’t respond, "I’m partly in my left hand and partly in my right foot." You exist in your entire body as a single self.
Of course, that is not a complete analogy – no analogy for God is – but it holds a small key to how a non-material reality exists independently of being broken down into pieces.
Some describe it in the following way: We live in space, yet space lives in God. It is not that God is crammed into the universe; the universe lives in the reality of God. As Isaiah 66:1 poetically reminds us, "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool." The universe is a small bubble floating in the infinite ocean of God's being.
Consider the ramifications of that. When scientists find a new galaxy billions of light-years away, they're not discovering a location in which God is not. They're making more of God's creation within God's presence known. If there are more dimensions than our three dimensions of space, God is completely present in them. If there are parallel universes (which is a big if), they would be within God's presence.
And here's a piece of information that will really scramble your noodle: Since God is not divisible, all of His attributes exist everywhere He is. That is, His love is omnipresent, His justice is omnipresent, His mercy is omnipresent. Wherever God is – and that's everywhere – all of God is present.
This is why theologians refer to the simplicity of God. The attributes of God are not parts of God that are separable. You cannot have God's love somewhere and not His holiness, or His mercy and not His justice. Wherever God is, He is in the totality of His being.
Let me take this a step further. Time is also a part of creation. Thus, God is not merely omnipresent in space; God is omnipresent in time. Past, present, and future are all "now" to God. That is the reason for which God is able to say "the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10). God is already at the end, the same way God is still present at the beginning. This is an explanation for how it was possible for Jesus to say, "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). It wasn't that He merely said that He predated Abraham; He said that He exists in an eternal present that includes all of time. Christians believe in the Trinity - one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So when we talk about God's omnipresence, we're talking about the omnipresence of the Trinity.
All three persons of the Trinity are omnipresent. The Father is omnipresent - Jesus taught us to pray "Our Father who art in heaven," but also said the Father is within us. The Son is omnipresent - He promised "I am with you always." The Spirit is omnipresent - David asked, "Where shall I go from Your Spirit?"
But here's the key: They're not three separate omnipresent beings. They're one God who is omnipresent. The Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons, but they share the one divine essence. Where one is present, all are present, because they cannot be separated.
This has huge practical implications. Sometimes people think, "Well, Jesus is in heaven at the right hand of the Father, so He's not here with me. Only the Spirit is here." But that's not right. Yes, Jesus' glorified human body is in heaven. But in His divine nature, the Son is omnipresent. He's as present with you as the Spirit is.
This is why Jesus could say both "I am going away" (referring to His physical ascension) and "I am with you always" (referring to His divine presence). Both are true because Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
When the Spirit indwells you as a believer, that's not a different presence from the Father and Son. Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23). The whole Trinity indwells the believer.
The Tough Question: Is God in Hell?
Now, let me address something that might be bothering some of you. If God is everywhere, what about hell? We often hear that hell is "separation from God," so how does that work with omnipresence?
This is where we need to be precise with our language. When the Bible talks about separation from God in hell, it's not talking about God being absent in an absolute sense. It's talking about separation from God's blessing, from His favorable presence, from His grace and mercy.
As John Piper explains: "Hell is the absence of God in the sense of His love and blessing, but God is terribly present in another sense – His just wrath."
Think of it this way: In hell, God is present in all the ways people don't want Him to be, and none of the ways believers enjoy Him to be. The damned can't escape God's reality - they face His holiness without the shield of grace, which is torment for the unholy.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 says the wicked "will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might." That phrase "away from the presence" translates the Greek "apo prosopou," which literally means "away from the face." It's relational language. The damned are shut out from the favorable face of God, from His smile, from His blessing.
But Revelation 14:10 says the wicked will be tormented "in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." So clearly, there's a sense in which God is present even in judgment.
It's like the sun - the same sun that brings life and warmth to a garden can bring death and scorching to a desert. The sun hasn't changed; the reception is different. God's presence in hell maintains its existence and executes justice, but His favorable presence - His love, mercy, and comfort - is withdrawn.
Psalm 139:8 says, "If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there." Even in the place of the dead, God is present. How could it be otherwise? If there were some corner of reality where God was not present, then something would exist outside of God's sovereignty. There would be some realm outside His rule. But that's impossible.
In fact, part of what makes hell so terrible is that it's existing in God's presence while being unfit for that presence. Imagine being in a place of perfect holiness while being unholy, in a place of perfect love while being filled with hate, in a place of perfect justice while being unjust. The very presence of God would be torment to someone in that condition.
C.S. Lewis captured this in "The Great Divorce" when he suggested that the doors of hell are locked from the inside. The damned can't stand God's presence, but they can't escape it either. They exist in a state of eternal contradiction - needing God to exist but hating the God they need.
Why This Changes Everything: Practical Applications
Alright, so God is omnipresent. So what? How does this change my Monday morning? How does this help when I'm stuck in traffic or dealing with a difficult coworker? Let me share some ways this doctrine absolutely revolutionizes daily life.
Your Prayer Life: You Always Have a Direct Line
First, let's talk about prayer. Remember my friend who felt like his prayers were bouncing off the ceiling? Here's the truth: Because God is omnipresent, there's never a moment when God is out of reach or unavailable.
You don't need to go to a special building. You don't need to assume a particular posture. You don't need to wait for Sunday. Right where you are, right now, God is fully present and fully attentive.
Think about how this changes things:
Stuck in traffic? You're in a prayer chapel.
Waiting in the doctor's office? You're in God's presence.
Lying awake at 3 AM with anxiety? God is right there in the darkness with you.
As one devotional beautifully puts it, "We don't have to make an appointment; He's never too busy to hear us when we pray."
I remember when this really hit home for me. I was on a business trip, alone in a hotel room in a city where I knew nobody. I was dealing with some heavy personal stuff, and I just felt so isolated. Then it hit me - I'm not alone. God is here in this sterile hotel room just as much as He is in my home church. I started praying, and I kid you not, the sense of His presence was so strong I actually looked around the room, half-expecting to see something.
But here's what's even cooler. Because God is omnipresent in time as well as space, He's already at the place where your prayers will be answered. When you pray for that job interview tomorrow, God is already there in tomorrow. When you pray for your kid who's away at college, God is already present in their dorm room. When you pray for that missionary in a closed country, God is already there with them.
This should revolutionize how we pray. We're not sending messages across vast distances hoping they arrive. We're talking to someone who's closer than our next breath. We're not informing God of situations He doesn't know about. We're communing with the One who's already intimately involved in every situation.
Let me get practical. Try this experiment this week: Every time you start to pray, take a moment first to acknowledge God's presence. Say something like, "Lord, thank You that You're right here with me." I guarantee it will change the way you pray. Your prayers will become more like conversations and less like monologues.
Your Struggles with Sin: You Can't Hide, So Why Try?
Here's where omnipresence gets uncomfortable - and that's a good thing. We cannot escape God or hide our sins from Him. Omnipresence is a deterrent against sinning in private.
How many times do we give in to temptation thinking, "Nobody will know"? But somebody does know. God is right there. Charles Spurgeon once remarked that if we sin in God's presence, we essentially commit the sin to God's face.
Think about how brazen that is. Would you look at pornography if Jesus were physically sitting next to you on the couch? Would you gossip about that coworker if Christ were visibly standing in the break room? Would you lie to your spouse if God were visibly present at the dinner table?
But here's the thing - He IS there. We just don't see Him with our physical eyes. But He's no less present for being invisible.
Now, I'm not trying to guilt-trip you here. I'm trying to help you win the battle! Next time temptation comes knocking, try this: say out loud, "God, I know You're here with me right now." I'm serious. Say it out loud. It's amazing how that simple acknowledgment can break the spell of temptation.
I learned this lesson the hard way in college. I was struggling with certain temptations (I'll let you fill in the blanks), and I kept falling into the same patterns. Then a mentor challenged me: "Before you give in next time, acknowledge God's presence out loud." I thought it was weird, but I tried it. And you know what? It worked. Not perfectly - I still failed sometimes - but way less often.
It's like turning on the lights in a room full of cockroaches. Sin loves darkness, but it shrivels in the light of God's recognized presence.
But here's the flip side - when you do mess up (and we all do), you don't have to run from God's presence because you can't! Adam and Eve tried to hide from God in the garden. How'd that work out? Jonah tried to flee from God's presence. He ended up in a fish's belly. You can't outrun omnipresence.
As Bonhoeffer wrote: "You cannot hide from God. The mask you wear before people won't work before God. God wants you as you are..." Since God already saw what you did, you might as well be honest about it and receive His forgiveness right there on the spot.
This is actually incredibly freeing. You don't have to clean yourself up before coming to God. You don't have to wait until Sunday to confess. Right there, in the mess of your failure, God is present and ready to forgive. As 1 John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
I remember counseling a young man who was trapped in a cycle of sin and shame. He'd sin on Saturday night and then skip church on Sunday because he felt too dirty to be in God's presence. I had to help him understand - you're no more in God's presence at church than you were on Saturday night. God saw the whole thing. So why not confess right away and receive forgiveness immediately?
Your Loneliness: You're Never Actually Alone
This one's huge. In an age of social media where we're more "connected" than ever but lonelier than ever, omnipresence speaks a powerful word: you are never truly alone.
We live in what sociologists call an "epidemic of loneliness." Despite having hundreds of Facebook friends and Instagram followers, people feel more isolated than ever. A recent study found that over 60% of young adults report feeling lonely on a regular basis. Among the elderly, the numbers are even higher.
But for the believer, loneliness is based on a lie. The truth is, for God's child, being alone is literally impossible. You can be by yourself, but you cannot be alone, because God is always present.
I think of elderly people in nursing homes who might go days without visitors. I think of single parents who feel like they're carrying the world on their shoulders with no one to help. I think of students at new schools who haven't made friends yet. I think of widows and widowers who've lost their life companion. To all of you, God says, "I am with you. You are not alone."
When Paul was on trial and everyone deserted him, he wrote, "But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me" (2 Timothy 4:16-17). Notice he doesn't say "The Lord strengthened me from heaven." He says the Lord "stood by me." Paul experienced what omnipresence means - even when every human support vanishes, God is still standing right there.
Let me tell you about Margaret. She's a widow in her 80s who lives alone. Her kids live across the country. She can't drive anymore. By any human measure, she should be desperately lonely. But when I visit her, she's always joyful. I asked her about it once, and she said, "Pastor, I'm never alone. The Lord is with me. We have wonderful conversations all day long."
At first, I thought she was just being super spiritual. But the more I got to know her, the more I realized - she really lives in conscious awareness of God's presence. She talks to Him while making her breakfast. She shares her concerns with Him while watching the news. She laughs with Him at funny things she reads. She's cultivated such an awareness of God's presence that she genuinely doesn't feel alone.
That's available to all of us. The same God who is with Margaret in her apartment is with you in your loneliness. He's with the single person coming home to an empty apartment. He's with the divorced dad in his quiet house on the weeks he doesn't have the kids. He's with the teenage girl who feels like nobody understands her.
Psalm 68:6 says "God sets the lonely in families." Sometimes that means literal families or church families. But ultimately, it means God Himself becomes our companion. As David wrote in Psalm 23, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
Your Daily Work: Sacred Space Is Everywhere
Here's something that transformed how I view my work: If God is present everywhere, then Monday at the office becomes as significant a sphere of ministry as Sunday in church.
Your cubicle is sacred space. Your delivery truck is sacred space. Your classroom, your kitchen, your garage - all sacred space because God is there.
We tend to divide life into sacred and secular. Church stuff is sacred. Work stuff is secular. But omnipresence obliterates that false distinction. If God is present at your workplace, then your workplace is a holy place. If God is watching you interact with that difficult customer, then that interaction is a holy moment.
This is what Brother Lawrence discovered. He was a monk in the 1600s whose job was washing dishes in the monastery kitchen. Not very "spiritual," right? I mean, he's surrounded by guys who get to spend all day in prayer and study, and he's stuck with the pots and pans.
But Brother Lawrence learned to practice God's presence while scrubbing dishes. He wrote, "The time of business does not differ with me from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen... I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees before the Blessed Sacrament."
What if you approached your work that way? What if every spreadsheet was prepared in God's presence? What if every customer was served in God's presence? What if every diaper was changed in God's presence? It changes everything from drudgery to worship.
I know a mechanic named Tony who gets this. He starts each day by dedicating his garage to God. He literally prays, "Lord, You're here in this garage today. Help me serve You as I serve my customers." He told me, "When I'm under a car changing oil, I'm not just working for the customer. I'm working for God who's right there with me."
Tony's oil changes have become acts of worship. His honest dealing with customers is his testimony. His excellence in work is his offering to God. He doesn't see his garage as a secular space where he makes money to support his "real" ministry. His garage IS his ministry because God is present there.
This revolutionizes how we view career decisions too. We often ask, "What is God's will for my career?" as if God's will is confined to certain "spiritual" professions. But if God is omnipresent, then He can be served in any legitimate profession. The question isn't "Which career is more spiritual?" but "How can I serve God in whatever career I pursue?"
A young woman in our church was agonizing over whether to be a missionary or a doctor. She felt like being a missionary was more spiritual. I asked her, "Where do you think God needs doctors?" She said, "Everywhere." I said, "And where is God present?" She got it. She became a doctor and views every patient interaction as a divine appointment because God is present in that examination room.
Your Suffering: God Is in the Valley with You
And here's perhaps the most precious application. When you're walking through the valley of the shadow of death - whether that's literal death, the death of a dream, depression, disease, or despair - God is there with you.
Scripture consistently connects God's presence to comfort. Isaiah 43:2 promises, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you." Notice God doesn't promise no waters - He promises His presence in the waters.
I've sat with people in hospital rooms, in funeral homes, in courtrooms, in the aftermath of devastating diagnoses. And while I can't always answer the "why" questions, I can always point to the "who" - the God who is present in the pain.
Let me tell you about Jim. Jim was dying of cancer, and he knew it. I visited him in hospice, expecting to find a man in despair. Instead, I found someone experiencing what he called "the sweetest presence of God I've ever known." He told me, "Pastor, I wouldn't choose this cancer. But I wouldn't trade the intimacy with God I've found in this valley for anything."
That's not to romanticize suffering. Suffering is real and painful. But God's presence in suffering is also real. As Corrie ten Boom, who survived a Nazi concentration camp, said, "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still."
Corrie tells this story from her time in Ravensbruck. She and her sister Betsie were in a barracks infested with fleas. The fleas were so bad that the guards wouldn't come in, which meant Corrie and Betsie could hold Bible studies without interference. Betsie actually thanked God for the fleas!
But beyond that, Corrie recalled how in solitary confinement, in the deepest despair of her life, she remembered that God was there in that cell with her. She couldn't see Him, couldn't feel Him, but she knew by faith He was there. And that knowledge gave her the strength to endure.
I think of a couple in our church who lost their teenage son in a car accident. The grief was unbearable. The wife told me later, "I felt like I was drowning in sorrow. But somehow, in the deepest waves of grief, I sensed God's presence holding me up. He didn't take the pain away, but He was in the pain with me."
This is the ministry of presence that God offers. He doesn't always deliver us from the valley, but He always walks through the valley with us. His presence doesn't eliminate the shadows, but it means we don't face them alone.
Living in the Light of Omnipresence
So how do we practically live in light of this truth? Let me give you some concrete steps you can take this week:
1. Practice the Presence Throughout Your Day
Start your day by acknowledging God's presence. Before your feet hit the floor, say, "Good morning, Lord. Thank You that You're here with me." Throughout the day, develop the habit of quick acknowledgments: "Lord, You're here in this meeting with me." "God, You're here in this traffic jam." "Father, You're here as I discipline my child."
Some people find it helpful to set reminders on their phone - maybe every couple hours it buzzes with a simple message: "God is here." Others put sticky notes in strategic places. I know a guy who set his computer password as "Godishere" (don't use that now that I've told you!). Every time he logs in, he's reminded of God's presence.
The goal is to train your mind to remember what's always true - you're living every moment in God's presence. At first, it might feel artificial. But over time, it becomes second nature. You develop what Frank Laubach called "the game with minutes" - seeing how many minutes throughout the day you can maintain conscious contact with God.
One practical exercise: Pick a routine activity you do every day - brushing your teeth, making coffee, commuting to work. Decide that during that activity, you'll consciously practice God's presence. Use that time to talk with God, to thank Him for being present, to invite Him into your day. Start with one activity and gradually expand.
2. Transform Your Prayer Life
Stop thinking of prayer as sending messages to a distant God and start thinking of it as talking with the God who's right beside you. This will change everything about how you pray.
First, it'll make you more conversational. You don't use formal, stilted language with someone sitting next to you. You just talk. So just talk to God. Share what's on your heart like you would with a close friend who's right there.
Second, you can pray with your eyes open. I know that sounds unspiritual to some of you, but think about it - if God is right there whether your eyes are open or closed, why not pray while looking at His creation? I love praying while walking, looking at the sky, noticing the birds, talking to the God who made it all and is present in it all.
Third, you can pray continuously. Since God is always present, you can maintain an ongoing conversation. Those quick "Help me, Jesus" prayers when someone's pushing your buttons? That's real prayer. That "Thank You, Lord" when you see a beautiful sunset? Real prayer. That "Give me wisdom" when you're making a decision? Real prayer.
And here's something cool - when you pray for someone on the other side of the world, picture God right there with them. You're not sending your prayer across the distance; you're asking the God who's already there to act. That'll turbocharge your faith in intercession.
I learned this from a missionary prayer partner. She told me, "When I pray for missionaries, I picture God standing right next to them. I'm not trying to get God to go there - He's already there. I'm joining my prayers with His presence." That transformed how I pray for people far away.
3. Face Temptation Differently
Next time you're tempted, before you do anything else, acknowledge God's presence out loud. "God, I know You're here. I know You see what I'm thinking about doing. Help me honor You right now."
I can't emphasize enough how powerful this is. It's like turning on the lights - sin loves darkness, but it shrivels in the light of God's recognized presence.
But here's a key: you have to do it BEFORE you give in. Once you start down the path of sin, it gets harder to acknowledge God's presence. The flesh doesn't want to recognize God when it's pursuing sin. So make it a habit - the moment temptation strikes, immediately acknowledge God's presence.
And when you fail? Turn immediately to the God who's right there. Don't wait until Sunday. Don't wait until you "feel worthy." He saw it happen; He's waiting for you to turn to Him. The faster you confess, the shorter your time in the pigsty of guilt and shame.
I know a man who struggled with pornography for years. What finally broke the cycle? He put a note on his computer screen: "God is watching." Simple, but effective. Every time he was tempted to click where he shouldn't, he saw that reminder. It didn't make him perfect, but it made him pause, and that pause was often enough to choose differently.
4. Redefine Your Workspace
Whether you work in an office, a classroom, a hospital, or your home, start viewing it as sacred space. You're not just working for your boss; you're working in the presence of God.
Try this: When you arrive at work tomorrow, take a moment to dedicate your workspace to God. It doesn't have to be elaborate. Just a simple, "Lord, You're here in this place today. Help me serve You as I work."
Then throughout the day, remember you're working coram Deo - before the face of God. That difficult customer? You're serving them in God's presence. That boring task? You're doing it for an audience of One. That ethical dilemma? You're making the decision with God watching.
This doesn't mean being super spiritual in an obnoxious way. You don't have to play worship music at full volume or leave Bible tracts everywhere. Just work with excellence and integrity, knowing God is present. As Colossians 3:23 says, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men."
I know a teacher who starts each day by walking through her empty classroom, praying for each desk, inviting God's presence into her teaching day. She says it transforms how she sees her students - not as interruptions to her lesson plan, but as divine appointments in God's presence.
5. Never Feel Alone Again
When loneliness creeps in (and it will), speak truth to yourself: "I feel alone, but I am not alone. God is here with me." Say it out loud. Let your ears hear your mouth speak truth to your emotions.
Develop conversations with God throughout your day. Share your thoughts, your concerns, your joys. Not in a crazy "talking to yourself" way, but in a natural, ongoing communion with the God who's present.
I know a single mom who felt desperately lonely after her divorce. She started what she calls "coffee with God" each morning. She literally sets out two coffee cups - one for her, one to represent God's presence. She sits and talks with God over coffee, sharing her heart, reading Scripture as His response to her. She says it transformed her sense of loneliness into companionship.
And here's a practical tip: when you're going through something difficult and people say, "I'll pray for you," thank them, but also remember - you don't have to wait for their prayers to access God's presence. He's already with you.
6. See Your Whole Life as Sacred
Omnipresence breaks down the sacred/secular divide. If God is present everywhere, then everywhere is sacred. Your Monday is as holy as your Sunday. Your workplace is as sacred as your church. Your recreation time is as God-filled as your devotion time.
This doesn't mean being somber all the time. God is present at the party too! Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding celebration. God enjoys your enjoyment of His good gifts. Laugh in God's presence. Play in God's presence. Rest in God's presence.
C.S. Lewis said, "There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal." Why? Because every person you meet is made in God's image and lives in God's presence. That grumpy cashier? She's living and moving and having her being in God. That annoying neighbor? He exists in God's presence. That changes how you see and treat people.
The Ultimate Comfort: Immanuel, God With Us
As we wrap up, I want to bring this full circle. The pinnacle of God's omnipresence is seen in Jesus Christ. The eternal Son of God, who fills all things, chose to confine Himself to human flesh. The One who heaven cannot contain was contained in Mary's womb. The omnipresent God became locally present in a specific human body. Why? So that we could know beyond any shadow of doubt that God is not distant, not disconnected, not disinterested.
Jesus is called Immanuel - God with us. Not God far from us. Not God above us only. God WITH us. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He made a way for us not just to know about God's presence but to experience it personally through the Holy Spirit.
Think about the incarnation for a moment. The infinite became an infant. The omnipresent One who fills the universe became a baby who couldn't even roll over by Himself. Why such humiliation? To prove once and for all that God is committed to being with us. He's not content to be omnipresent in some abstract, philosophical sense. He became one of us to be with us in the most concrete way possible.
And here's the promise for every believer: One day, we'll experience God's presence without any barriers. Revelation 21:3 declares, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God."
What we experience now by faith, we'll experience then by sight. The God who is everywhere present will be visibly present. The God we sense dimly now we'll see face to face. The God whose presence we have to remind ourselves of will be undeniably, gloriously present.
That's our future. But it starts now. Every moment of conscious communion with God now is a foretaste of heaven. Every recognition of His presence now prepares us for His unveiled presence then.
Your Response: Three Challenges
So where does this leave you today? Let me give you three challenges as we close:
Challenge #1: If You've Been Running, Stop
Maybe you've been living like a practical atheist - believing in God intellectually but living as if He's not really there. Today's the day to start practicing His presence.
Maybe you've been running from God, thinking you could hide your sin, your pain, your doubts. Friend, you can stop running. He's already there wherever you're trying to go. Turn around and find Him waiting with open arms.
I think of a young man I counseled who had been living a double life - Christian on Sunday, party animal the rest of the week. He thought he was fooling God. When the reality of God's omnipresence hit him, he broke down weeping. "I've been such a fool," he said. "I've been trying to hide from Someone who's been right there the whole time."
But here's the beautiful thing - when he confessed and repented, he found God had been pursuing him in love the whole time. The omnipresent God wasn't there as an angry judge but as a loving Father waiting for his prodigal to come home.
Challenge #2: If You've Been Lonely, Look Up
Maybe you've been feeling desperately alone, like nobody understands, nobody cares. Hear this truth: The God who fills heaven and earth is with you right now. You are not alone. You have never been alone. You will never be alone.
Start talking to Him. Right now. Tell Him how you feel. Share your loneliness with the One who's closer than your next breath. He's not put off by your honesty. He's not surprised by your struggle. He's present, He's listening, and He cares.
A woman in our church lost her husband after 50 years of marriage. She told me the house felt so empty she could hardly stand it. I encouraged her to start acknowledging God's presence in that empty house. She started saying out loud each morning, "Good morning, Lord. Thank You for being here with me."
Six months later, she told me, "Pastor, the house isn't empty anymore. Oh, I still miss my husband terribly. But I'm more aware of God's presence now than I've ever been. He fills the empty spaces."
Challenge #3: If You've Known This Truth, Live It
Maybe you know all this in your head, but you've never really let it drop into your heart. Today, let it sink in. Let it change how you see every moment of your life. Because if God is really omnipresent - and He is - then there's no such thing as a God-forsaken place, a God-forsaken person, or a God-forsaken moment.
Start tomorrow with a conscious acknowledgment of God's presence. Choose one of the practical steps I've mentioned and implement it this week. Don't try to do everything at once - that's a recipe for failure. Just take one small step toward living in the reality of God's presence.
Maybe it's setting a reminder on your phone. Maybe it's dedicating your workspace. Maybe it's starting conversational prayer. Whatever it is, take that step. Because knowing theology is good, but living theology is transformative.
The Final Word: You Are Never Alone
Let me leave you with this. In a world that's increasingly isolated, where technology connects us superficially but leaves us deeply lonely, where anxiety and depression are at epidemic levels, the ancient truth of God's omnipresence speaks a powerful word of hope.
You are never alone. Let that sink in. You are NEVER alone.
When you wake up in the middle of the night with racing thoughts, God is there in the darkness with you. When you face that intimidating situation tomorrow, God is already there waiting for you. When you take your last breath on this earth, God will be there to receive you.
The omnipresent God isn't just a theological concept. He's a present reality. He's YOUR ever-present help in times of trouble. He's YOUR constant companion. He's YOUR faithful friend who sticks closer than a brother.
As A.W. Tozer beautifully wrote: "The omnipresence of God is one of those divine facts that can transform our lives. It tells us that we are never alone, that we are always under the eye of a caring heavenly Father, that we are forever in the presence of an infinite, loving God."
Let me pray for us:
Father, thank You that You are not a distant God but a present God. Thank You that there's nowhere we can go to escape Your love, Your care, Your attention. Lord, for those who have been running from You, draw them to Yourself. For those who have been feeling alone, reveal Your presence. For those who have known this truth but not lived it, ignite a fresh awareness of Your presence.
Help us to live every moment coram Deo - before Your face. When we're tempted, remind us that You see. When we're lonely, remind us that You're there. When we're afraid, remind us that You're with us. Transform our everyday moments into encounters with You.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, who is Immanuel, God with us. Amen.
Friends, as you go from here, remember: you take God's presence with you because He's already there waiting for you. Every step you take, you take in the presence of the Almighty. Every breath you breathe, you breathe in the atmosphere of God's presence. You are never alone. You are always loved. You are forever held.
That's not just theology - that's your reality. Live like it's true, because it is.
The God of the universe - the One who spoke galaxies into existence, who holds atoms together, who orchestrates history - that God is with you right now. He's with you in your questions and in your confidence. He's with you in your struggles and in your successes. He's with you in your doubt and in your faith.
And He promises to be with you always, even to the end of the age. That's a promise you can build your life on. That's a truth you can stake your eternity on. That's a reality that changes everything.
