Omnipresence is a well known attribute of God. The concept of an all knowing, all powerful being is what makes God, The God. In Psalm 137:7-12 David makes an elegant prayer about this very attribute, the all encompassing presence of the Lord. Yet if God is everywhere, then why does God feel so remote and distant? The truth is we feel distant from God due to our fallen nature. It is the heart that distances us from Him. His holy nature makes is difficult for us to be close to Him.
- Nearness of God - He is always here. We often feel that we must conjure of some elegant prayer to bring the Lord down from the Heavens, but the truth is He is closer to us then we are to ourselves. If we are to accept that our Lord is an omnipresent God, then logic must also dictate that there is no where we can hide from Him.
- Pursuit of God - If God is everywhere, where can we run to? Those who are trying to run away from the Lord have a hard time grasping this concept. After all if the Lord is everywhere then we must also accept that fact that we can not hide our sins from Him. Just because you don't acknowledge God, doesn't mean He isn't there.
- Manifest presence of God - In Genesis 28, Jacob, after fleeing for his life from Esau, decides to take a rest and has a dream. In his dream, he see a vision of angels going up and down a ladder. When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." There is a difference between the omnipresence of the Lord, and the manifest presence of the Lord. Though He may be everyone, He will only reveal Himself to those who truly seeks Him. God will not manifest His presence to those who refuse to see Him.
Ultimately, salvation is when a sinner who was living in ignorance, becomes aware of His presence. It is when the truth of his omnipresence is acknowledged by his manifest presence.
--from Nakwon EM April 27th 2008 Sunday Worship Service
*To listen to this sermon in its entirety, please contact James Kim
cheap IKEA bookshelf + used books = library?
