![]() It is a privilege to stand in the presence of a king (Proverbs 22:29). The presence of God can also refer to a place of honor. But those who reject the gospel “will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9 cf. The children of God are promised to experience everlasting joy in God’s presence: “You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11 cf. So there is a sense in which we are always in God’s presence.īut there is another sense in which we can either be in or out of God’s “presence.” In this sense, the presence of God can refer to His divine blessing and embracing love. Jonah tried in vain to flee from God’s presence (Jonah 1:3) he found that, no matter where he went, God was there waiting for him. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:27–28). Paul also taught the fact of God’s all-encompassing presence: “He is not far from any one of us. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7–10). David writes, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Everywhere we can go (and everywhere we can’t), God is there. ![]() Amen.The Bible teaches that God is omnipresent. We must therefore surrender our will and our all to the Omnipresent God if we are going to be cultivators of His presence.įather, thank You that You have chosen to reside in us and allowed us to exist in You, in Jesus’ name. Running away from God’s presence is near impossible, not to talk of tiring and frustrating. The Bible says that “ But Jonah ran away to Tarshish to escape from the presence of the Lord…” ( Jonah 1:3a) We know how the story unfolds for Jonah and that he ended up in the belly of the whale. I wonder about the dark and seemingly far places some of us may be going to, to run away from the presence of God.Īnother example worth citing is Jonah. David then states that “ It’s impossible to disappear from You or to ask the darkness to hide me, for your presence is everywhere” (verse 11). ![]() In Psalm 139, David lists some places he has gone to, to try to hide from God’s presence and some of these places are dark, and what we’d consider quite far away. Try as David might, he couldn’t hide from God’s presence simply because He is everywhere, at the same time. God’s omnipresence is one not to run from. On that day, it would be necessary for the presence of God to have been in us and for us to have existed in Him, to partake of eternal fellowship with God. Not only is God’s presence everywhere, but it was also there in the beginning when the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters and will be there in the end when the true sons of God are revealed. Therefore, He is not only wherever we are, but we are wherever He is (which is everywhere). Not only does God’s presence live in us, but we also live, move, and exist in God, according to Acts 17:28. However, we thank God that the power to pursue, contain, and cultivate His glory is not of ourselves but of the One whose it is. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7 that the treasure of the light of God (which comes from His presence) is shining in our hearts, although we are like fragile clay jars containing such a great treasure. We must make our lives a conducive environment in which the glory of God grows. As a result, believers must fashion their lives according to the magnitude of what this means. The born-again man, therefore, carries the glory of God because with God’s presence comes His glory. However, we must know that the reach of God’s omnipresence includes the spirit man of the born-again believer. When God's omnipresence is often mentioned, it is associated with places and buildings. “It’s impossible to disappear from you or to ask the darkness to hide me, for your presence is everywhere, bringing light into my night.” Psalms 139:11 TPT
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