Be Present: Omnipresence

"The question is not whether the things that happen to you are chance things or God's things because, of course, they are both at once. There is no chance thing through which God cannot speak—even the walk from the house to the garage that you have walked ten thousand times before, even the moments when you cannot believe there is a God who speaks at all. . . He speaks, I believe, and the words he speaks are incarnate in the flesh and blood of our selves and our own footsore and sacred journeys. We cannot live our lives constantly looking back, listening back, lest we be turned to pillars of longing and regret, but to live without listening at all is to live deaf to the fullness of the music.” —Frederick Buechner, The Sacred Journey

Recently a good friend and mentor shared this Buechner quote with me, and its profound insight has haunted me over these past several months.  It reminds me of the peculiar nature of GOD’s omnipresence, being in all places and spaces of life.  My heart likes to think of GOD being infinite and universal, present in the spinning of galaxies while caring for starving third world countries.

I rarely think of GOD being present with me as I yawn through a committee meeting or as I head to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

I love to think of GOD dramatically present in protecting our service men and women, present in healing terminally-ill children, present in rescuing disaster survivors.  I rarely think of Him cringingly present when I laugh at an off-color joke or helpfully there when I forgot the keys to the house.  I envision GOD’s presence in the miraculous, and often don’t notice Him in the mundane.

In Matthew 6:26 [NKJV], Jesus shares, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

I am valuable to GOD.  It astounds me that GOD loves so deeply as to be present for the little details of my life.  My journey need not be spectacular or exceptional for Him to take note—everything about me matters to Him.

But there is also a dark side to becoming aware of such holy omnipresence.  Recognizing that GOD is present in all my life, including my sordid past, can leave room for shame and regret to erode my soul.  My history is filled with lessons learned “the hard way” and missed opportunities—it’s easy enough to look back at my life and become a “pillar of longing and regret.”

Not giving in to the dark side of my past, the reality of GOD’s omnipresence has its best frame based less on my history and more on HIS story.  There is a balanced benefit in remembering the past, only to the degree we are reminded of GOD’s greatness and gracefulness.  The journey affords us stories of GOD’s pursuit, GOD’s guidance, and His rescue.  The landmarks of our past need only be a reminder of how awesome it is to arrive at home with GOD.

Birds find nooks and crannies in your house, 

   sparrows and swallows make nests there. 

They lay their eggs and raise their young, 

   singing their songs in the place where we worship. 

God-of-the-Angel-Armies! King! God! 

   How blessed they are to live and sing there!   

–Psalm 84:3-4 [Message]

As we remember our journey, may we see GOD’s watchcare in the midst of the miraculous and mundane.  May His presence in every step of life build our confidence in His steadfast love, so that all that is remembered of the past milestones is GOD’s faithfulness to carry us through. 

"Sometimes we avoid listening for fear of what we may hear, sometimes for fear that we may hear nothing at all but the empty rattle of our own feet on the pavement. But be not affeard, says Caliban, nor is he the only one to say it. "Be not afraid," says another, "for lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." He says he is with us on our journeys. He says he has been with us since each of our journeys began. Listen for him. Listen to the sweet and bitter airs of your present and your past for the sound of him." —Frederick Buechner, The Sacred Journey

Encounter the Word:

"What's the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don't be intimidated by all this bully talk. You're worth more than a million canaries." --Luke 12:6-7 [Message]

Encounter:

• With GOD is there such a thing as "coincidence?"  Explain.
• In what ordinary aspects of today would it be helpful to be aware of GOD's presence?  How will you increase your awareness of GOD in the midst of today's mundane details?
• Where in your past do you see GOD's presence?