The Omnipresence of God

***The insert in the bulletin (09.29.19) was incorrect***

What Others Have Said: Stephen Charnock

(1) The omnipresence of God is a comfort in all violent temptations. No fiery dart can be so present with us, as God is present both with that and the marksman. The most raging devils cannot be so near us, as God is to us and them. He is present with his people to relieve them, and present with the devil to manage him to his own holy purposes: so he was with Job, defeating his enemies, and bringing him triumphantly out of those pressing trials. This presence is such a terror, that whatsoever the devil can despoil us of, he must leave this untouched. He might scratch the apostle with a thorn (2 Cor. 12:7, 9), but he could not rifle him of the presence of divine grace, which God promised him. He must prevail so far as to make God cease to be God, before he can make him to be distant from us; and while this cannot be, the devils and men can no more hinder the emanations of God to the soul, than a child can cut off the rays of the sun from embellishing the earth. It is no mean support for a good man, at any time, buffeted by a messenger of Satan, to think God stands near him, and behold how ill he is used. It would be a satisfaction to a king’s favorite, in the midst of the violence some enemies might use to him upon a surprise, to understand that the king who loves him stands behind a curtain, and through a hole sees the injuries he suffers: and were the devil as considering as he is malicious, he could not but be in great fear at God’s being in the generation of the righteous, as his serpentine seed is (Prov. 3:6): “They were in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous.”

(2) The omnipresence of God is a comfort in all special services. God never puts any upon a hard task, but he makes promises to encourage them and assist them, and the matter of the promise is that of his presence; so he did assure the prophets of old when he set them difficult tasks, and strengthened Moses against the face of Pharaoh, by assuring him “he would be with his mouth” (Exod. 4:12); and when Christ put his apostles upon a contest with the whole world, to preach a gospel that would be

foolishness to the Greeks, and a stumbling block to the Jews, he gives them a cordial only composed of his presence (Matt. 28:20), I will be with you; it is this presence scatters by its light the darkness of our spirits; it is this that is the cause of what is done for his glory in the world; it is this that mingles itself with all that is done for his honor; it is this from whence springs all the assistance of his creatures, marked out for special purposes.

Verses to Meditate Upon:

• Psalm 139
• Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'”

Questions to Consider:

• What aspects of God’s omnipresence amaze you?
• In the Old Testament you observe the people of God consistently going to a place to meet with God. How has the need for that changed through the sacrifice of Christ?
• How can the presence of God, “Suppress Our Desire to Surrender to Sin?”
• In what ways does the presence of God, “Calm Our Troubled Hearts?” 

Action to Take:

• Pray! Start each day acknowledging the reality that God is there in your midst.
• Choose a verse that focuses on the omnipresence of God and meditate on it through the entire week.