Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them” (Mark 7:14–16). Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. When challenged by the Pharisees regarding His disciples who had failed to wash their hands properly, Jesus declared: “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Significantly, this is Jesus’s first parable in Mark, and it begins with the command “Listen!” Listening is so critical to the life of Jesus’s disciples that He repeats the same message. The parable of the sower begins with the participatory invitation: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed” (Mark 4:3). Jesus builds upon this basic principle when He instructs His followers to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence. These are only a few of the passages that communicate the reality of God’s presence amidst His people. In both verses, Jesus’s abiding presence is addressed to the everyday people. 31:6, “Never will I leave you never will I forsake you” (Heb. In fact, he reproduces Moses’s declaration to Joshua from Deut. The writer of Hebrews communicates much the same message to the recipients of his letter. But what about normal people? As Jesus is prepared to ascend to heaven, He delivered His Great Commission to His disciples, and then he declared, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. These are experiences of some of God’s most significant leaders in the Old Testament. No doubt he drew much assurance not from his own strength but in God’s abiding presence and promises. Joshua had previously learned this message, because God had guided the people of Israel during the day by the pillar of cloud and at night by the pillar of fire (Exod. Do not be afraid do not be discouraged.” (Deut. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you he will never leave you nor forsake you. Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. Moses left large sandals to fill, but God’s empowering word enabled Joshua to step out in confidence with God: Imagine also how Joshua must have felt as Moses informed him that Joshua would lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, not Moses who had freed them from their Egyptian bondage. 139:7–10)ĭavid was renewed by this liberating truth that God would guide and provide for him. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I go up to the heavens, you are there But for David, who sought God’s presence, it produced refreshing peace. For the person who attempts to run from God, this is convicting. King David, who often found himself attacked from various sides, acknowledged that God knew everything about him (Ps. The biblical truth and resulting comfort that we must remember is that God is always with us. For, in reality, God is already present it is we who need to be awakened to God’s presence. It is always God’s gift to us totally independent of what we do. God’s presence is not something we create by our efforts. 18:27).ġ This unbiblical view is too common among many believers today. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened’” (1 Kgs. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. After their initial failed efforts, including shouting to Baal, “Elijah began to taunt them. It more resembles Elijah’s experience on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal. This language fails to grasp the central truth of God’s omnipresence. Sometimes people make statements such as “God really showed up in worship today.” Or, when God appears to be absent, “If we pray harder, maybe the Holy Spirit will show up.” I think I know what they mean, but I am concerned that this communicates an unhealthy theology. Since God has already revealed Himself to us, we need to be alert to recognize that God is indeed present and active in our world today.Īnd yet our language can distort the process of perceiving Him. Central to this relationship is understanding the dynamics of knowing God. God always takes the initiative by His grace and seeks to draw us back into a personal friendship. Scripture reveals God’s deep desire to be in fellowship with us and the hunger of the human soul for a relationship with Him. In the first article of this series, I presented a biblical foundation for growing in intimacy with God. God is in our midst, and we are often unaware of His presence. The third article will consider various ways in which we can experience God in the different arenas of life.
Omnipresence of god illustrations series#
This is the second of a three–part series on “Growing in Intimacy with God.” The first article, titled “Biblical Foundations for Growing in Intimacy with God” was published in the Spring 2019 issue of Knowing & Doing.
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