God fills all of creation – and all of you
Third of a 4-part teaching series
by Jeana Kamp
Have you ever thought it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall where a conversation is going on that you want to hear? Your presence would be undetected, but you’d see and hear everything.
Is that the way it is with God? One of His attributes is His omnipresence – (omni, meaning “all,” and present, meaning “close to, near to, or here”). Does He see and hear everything but have no active part in what is going on? Some would say that is so. But that’s not really who the Father of Creation is…or wants to be to you.
Picture a bucket submerged in the ocean. It is filled completely with the ocean, and yet the ocean encircles it. The same is true of God. He fills all of creation, and extends even farther…without limit.
Actively Present – No Limitations
This characteristic of God’s nature means:
- He does not have size or space dimensions
- His whole being is present at every point of space
- Yet He acts differently in different places
Solomon said it best when he set about to build the temple: “The house that I am to build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods. But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him?” (II Chronicles 2:5-6) He is everywhere – not in part, but His whole being – wholly present everywhere.
Present to Punish…Present to Sustain
Understand also that the Lord is present in different ways in different places. Amos, a prophet of God, delivered a series of messages regarding the terrifying judgment that was to come on the disobedient people of Israel. “If they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them; if they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down…and I will fix my eyes upon them for evil and not for good.” (Amos 9:2-4) His presence was to punish.
At other times, the Creator is there to sustain, upholding the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)
Present to Bless
But Scripture speaks most often of the Lord’s presence in terms of being present to bless. He manifested Himself as a cloud by day and a fire by night for the children of Israel (Exodus 13:21-22). He was their physical comfort and guide. On the other hand, David, a man after God’s own heart, often expressed his joy in God’s presence…not a physical presence, but an inward assurance of stability and a delight in the instruction from His Word (Psalm 16:11).
It has to do with relationship. In the beginning, Adam and Eve had an intimate relationship with God. But once they sinned, everything changed. The Lord God came to the garden and called to Adam saying, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) It was not that He didn’t know where Adam was. It was Adam who was lost and alienated from His Maker.
Christ also was separated from His Heavenly Father when He took on your sin and the sins of the world and died on the cross. He paid the price for you. Accept Him as your Savior and the Holy Spirit will dwell with you and live within you (John 14:16-17). Believer, God calls you His redeemed, His saint, His child…what an incredible relationship. “In Him [you] live and move and have [your] being.” (Acts 17:28)
Be encouraged to know that the Lord will never leave you or forsake you. Let Him guide you by His Word. And by your prayers, be in constant communication with the One who is always near.
For further study:
- Joshua 1:9
- Deuteronomy 31:1-8
- Psalm 139:7-10
- Galatians 4:3-9
- Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-12
- Isaiah 55:6-13
- John 17:1-3, 14-23
- Acts 17:22-31
Jeana Kamp is a devotional and teaching article writer whose desire for her writing is that the love of God will be evident to each reader. A widow for 12 years but recently remarried, Jeana and her husband live in Gilbert, AZ.