Saturday, February 16, 2013

Five Bible Quotes on the Presence of God

1. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3).

This first verse in Proverbs tells us that God is very simply everywhere! He is seeing all the good and all the evil in the world. He is in every room. He is in the air and he is in the ground. God is literally every place that exists in the universe and beyond!

2. Where can I go from your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there; if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. 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 (Psalm 139:7-12).

This verse from Psalms is very interesting in that it tells us that God is in space, in the heavens, whatever parallel dimension or different place that is. It tells us that God is everywhere on Earth. Surprisingly it tells us that God is in hell as well! God is not only everywhere but he has all power everywhere. He can help us fully whether we're under the sea or in the air. There is no way to hide from God, obviously. If we hide in the darkness he sees us.

3. Though they dig into hell, from there my hand shall take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down; and though they hide themselves on top of Carmel, from there I will search and take them; though they hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea, from there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them (Amos 9:2,3).

These terms are to be taken as referring to the future. In Amos we see that no one can escape the wrath of God. No matter how deep in the Earth they go to hide, which is referenced in Revelation God will will strike them. The reference to Carmel was a place to the west of Israel where many trees grew high up. The reference to the serpent is to a beast called Nâchâsh from ancient times. God most likely made this reference so those living in those times could more relate to just how expansive he is.

4. 'Am I a God near at hand,' says the Lord, 'and not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?' . . . 'do I not fill heaven and earth?' says the Lord? (Jeremiah 23:23,24).

In this passage we learn that God fills all the heavens and all the Earth. There is no place that he isn't. In fact his body is the universe. We are living within God right now! Truly wondrous to see it in those terms. This passage tells us that yes, God is with us all the time, but he is also with everyone else. He is everywhere else. Even when a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, God hears it! Once again we are also reminded that there is no hiding from God.

5. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it" (Genesis 28:15,16).

This passage from Genesis shows us that God is not only everywhere and everything, but that he is also within us. He is in our dreams. He is in our minds. He is us! He created us in his own image. Jacob had this dream and decreed that God is in this place! We are reminded by Jacob that we should always know, remember, and speak the truth: That God is everywhere!