One of the lessons I remember from my days as a teenager in Youth Group in Sheakleyville United Methodist Church was learning about the attributes of God. I can remember sitting on the chancel steps as Pastor Gary taught us that God is Omniscient (all-knowing), Omnipotent (all-powerful), and Omnipresent (Present Everywhere).

This morning, I was reading in Thomas Oden’s John Wesley’s Teachings: Vol. 1, God and Providence and Oden was speaking of the implications of God’s omnipresence. He writes,

“No one can speak rightly of the attributes of God while ignoring their moral implications. The teaching of divine omnipresence has powerful consequences for interpersonal relationships. It shapes our dealings with others. The very thoughts of God’s omnipresence calls us to moral attentiveness to what we are currently saying and feeling. It is as if we are being held up immediately before the all-seeing, all-knowing God who fills even secret spaces.

The resulting moral implication: measure each moral choice in relation to the simple fact of the eternal divine presence. Behavior is transformed, speech reshaped, thinking reconfigured in relation to this omnipresent Companion.”
Thomas Oden John Wesley’s Teaching: Vol. 1 (pg. 44)

The short interpretation: You live your life differently when you live with the knowledge that God is with you every moment. Our choices are impacted by the God who is with us. We take seriously the call to “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)

God’s omnipresence is more than just about transforming moral behavior. It is a source of joy and comfort. It means that we are not alone. God is with us and will never leave us. For the times when our family, friends, co-workers seem to leave us, God is our constant companion in whom we find strength, encouragement, guidance, and love.

As you go through your day today (and the days to come) allow the omnipresence of God to transform your decisions, words, and attitudes. Allow God’s omnipresence to be a source of joy- we are not alone. God is with us.