God's Essence - Omnipresence
God is eternally and personally present everywhere, all at the same time. The whole of God is in every place at the same time. (Psalm 139:7-8; Proverbs 15:3). So we say He is “omnipresent.” We can see a picture of God’s omnipresence when we think of heaven as His throne and the earth as His footstool. God’s throne room is in heaven (Psalm 11:4; 103:19), and yet He is not confined or restricted to heaven or any other place (1 Kings 8:27).
God is beyond our universe and yet also everywhere. To us, space has no boundaries, but to God, space is within the borders He has established. Space is large, but not as large as God. Time can be a long period, but to eternal God, a million years is like one second. He created both space and time and sustains both. In fact, Hebrews 1:3b says that Jesus Christ “upholds all things by the word of His power” (Deuteronomy 4:39; Isaiah 66:1).
God is also free to have a local presence, as in the meetings in the garden with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8), or on the mountain with Moses (Exodus 19:18, 20), or in the Holy of Holies above the mercy seat (Exodus 40:34; Leviticus 16:2). And He was free to become flesh and dwell among us (John 1:14). In each of these cases, the Lord Jesus Christ as God was in one place, face-to-face with mankind, and at the same time, existed everywhere, throughout the entire universe and beyond.
God's omniscience knows simultaneously and eternally every circumstance of life, while God's omnipresence makes Him a witness to every situation and circumstance of history as it occurs. That includes every aspect of our lives. Jeremiah 23:23-24 states, “Am I a God who is near,” declares the Lord, “And not a God far off? Can a person hide himself in hiding places so that I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the Lord. He is with us for all that will occur and has already provided a grace provision for every part of our lives. He is personally interested in us every moment we are alive, and He is available to help us immediately. Joshua 1:9 tells us “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Deuteronomy 31:6 adds, “For the Lord your God, He is the one who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” And Psalm 23:4 says, “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.”
God’s essence is who He is. It is a great source of encouragement and comfort for us when we apply His essence to the problems and tribulations we encounter in our lives. Hebrews 13:5b tells us that “God will never leave us nor forsake us.” He is always present with us. How could He forsake us? We are His children (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26). Nothing can ever separate the believer from the love of God because He is always present with us. Always. Take comfort in that.
Memory verse: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” ( Romans 8:38, 39).