THE OMNI GOD: REFLECTIONS ON PSALM 139-II
God by definition is everywhere. He is omnipresent.
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. 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. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. (v7-12)
But why would anybody want to run from God? Why would anybody want to go up to the heavens or down to the depths in an attempt to hide from God? The reason is the sinful nature of man that wants to break free from the yoke of God. The very first sin in the Garden of Eden was none other than man breaking free from his dependence on God to carving out his own path for life. The problem though with that is the omnipresence of God and the intrinsic dependency of man on God by virtue of his creation. Neither can man therefore run away from God, nor can he exist independently apart from God.
The omnipresence of God also manifests in the darkness we surround ourselves with being lighted up by God. Walking with God is walking in the light. Walking apart from God is surround ourselves in darkness. The light is always blinding to begin with, but as you stay on in the light, you begin to enjoy its warmth and brightness. Coming in to God’s presence is likewise uncomfortable to begin with, and there are so many that prefer to remain in the darkness of sin. But God invades our darkness with his light and his love.
Cory Asbury’s song ‘Reckless Love’ sings of a God who chases us down with his love and finds us.
O the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
O it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found,
leaves the ninety-nine I couldn’t earn it,
I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away
O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
And that fact that in God’s omnipresence we find an overwhelming love, is what makes this omnipresence so unique. He cannot be avoided, but when we encounter him, we come face to face with the love of God, a love that is unfathomable and the greatest experience man can have on earth.
