There is an expression used to describe God’s location.  It is called ‘omni-present’.  That literally means that the Lord is everywhere at one time.  Let’s consider a few scriptures that tell us of God’s presence.

* Concerning the building of the Tabernacle, we read in Exodus 25:8, “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I MAY DWELL AMONG THEM.”

* We read in Psalm 47:8, “God reigneth over the heathen: GOD SITTETH UPON THE THRONE of his holiness.”

* David wrote in Psalm 115:3, “But OUR GOD IS IN THE HEAVENS: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.”

* We read in Isaiah 6:1, “In the year that king Uzziah died I SAW ALSO THE LORD SITTING UPON A THRONE, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.”

* As David considered the omni-presence of the Lord, he wrote in Psalm 139:7-12, “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, THOU ART THERE: if I make my bed in hell, behold, THOU ART THERE. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”  David realized that wherever he went, the Lord was there.

How can God be in more than one place at one time?  I suppose the best and simplest answer is that HE IS GOD.  We are told in John 4:24 that, “God is a Spirit…”.  As a Spirit, He is able to be everywhere at one time.  Even though the Lord Jesus Christ still has a body, He can also be everywhere at one time.  A few examples are:

* Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, THERE AM I IN THE MIDST OF THEM.”

* Colossians 1:27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory.”  Christ dwells inside every believer!

In reality, the Lord is as close to us as we desire Him to be.  James 4:8 tells us, “Draw nigh to God, and HE WILL DRAW NIGH TO YOU.”

In Genesis 39, we have the account of Joseph in Potiphar’s house.  He refused to be seduced by Potiphar’s wife so she accused him of trying to rape her.  Potiphar had Joseph cast into prison where he stayed for more than two years.  Although the Lord did not prevent Joseph from going to prison, the Lord went to prison with him!  In Genesis 39:2 and 3, we see that the Lord was with Joseph before he was put into prison.  In verses 21 and 23, we see that the Lord was with Joseph in prison.  How precious to think that when we suffer, the Lord is right there with us.  He may allow us to suffer for a while, but He will stay right with us until the suffering time is over.  Joseph learned many lessons that he could not have learned without suffering first.  So it is with us.  Where is the Lord when we are suffering?  He is right there with us to encourage, sustain, build up, and teach us.  In fact, He has promised us in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

How precious it is to know that our God is a great God who is not limited to being in one place at one time.  He is everywhere.  He sees everything.  He is able to minister to our needs in every situation.  (345.4)