Everywhere At Once

Everywhere at Once

“Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the LORD. “No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:23-24

Will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!

1 Kings 8:27

I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

Psalm 139:7-10

Have you ever wished you could be in two places at the same time—maybe at the soccer game and the concert because both are happening at the same time? Human bodies can’t do that. We can only be in one place at a time. But God is not limited like we are. God is everywhere, with his whole being.

God cannot be defined in terms of size or dimensions, and he cannot be contained by any space. We might think he is everywhere in the same way a smell diffuses throughout a house when a scented candle is burning—with molecules spread all around. But there are not parts of God everywhere. He’s present with his whole being in every part of space.

While God is present in all places in his creation, he is distinct from his creation. It’s kind of like a sponge. Water is present everywhere in the sponge, but the water is still completely separate from the sponge.

Wherever we are, God is with us—fully present with us. We can’t hide from him; we can’t get lost from him. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is with us wherever we are.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

Where are some places you would never want to go? Do you think God is there?

Who are some people in the Bible who tried to hide from God or run away from him? What made them want to escape God’s presence?

What difference does it make that God is fully present with you?