Although the word omnipresent does not occur in Scripture, the idea is one that is presented throughout the pages of the Bible. One important theme is the idea that God cannot be contained in one place, even the heavens or the entire earth. When Solomon prayed at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem, he said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27).

When Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle in the wilderness, he also dedicated it to the Lord as his house on earth. After that we read, “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys:” (Exodus 40:34-38).

Solomon was right to say that no house on earth could contain God. Even the highest heavens could not contain him. And, when he dwelt among his people on earth, they could not enter the place of his presence, for his glory filled the building.

But, not only is God greater than to be held by any one place, he is also said to be in all places. The psalmist writes, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:7-10). There is no place we can go to escape from the presence of God.

For the believer, this is a most reassuring thing to know. No matter where we go, God knows where we are, and he watches over us. For the unbeliever, however, this is one of the most frustrating and angering ideas possible. Nothing they do is hidden from the Lord. God is always with us; either in a loving, caring way, or in a judging, wrathful way. God is everywhere!

When we speak of God being in all places, we must guard against an ancient, false idea known as pantheism. The idea of pantheism is that there is no significant difference between God the Creator and his creation. Not only is God everywhere, he is everything. As we have already seen, however, God is holy, and he is not a part of the creation. He is above it, because he made it. God is not a part of all things, but he is in all things, sovereignly ruling over his universe, and working all things together for the good of his people, and for his own glory.

Not only is God everywhere, but he is all-powerful. Therefore, he can work all things together for our good and his glory.

Where as omnipresent is not found in Scripture, omnipotent is found in such places as Revelation 19:6, 4:8, 11:17, 15:3, and 16:7. It is usually translated as almighty. Even God’s name, El Shaddai means God Almighty. The might, power, and strength of God are shown on practically every page of Scripture.

Scripture opens with a display of God’s power, as we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). And, what is so amazing about the power of God shown in the creation of all things is that he merely spoke the universe into being. God said, “Let there be …,” and there was. That is power!

Such power causes fear. The psalmist writes, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:8-9). For the people of God, his power instills in us the fear of awe. For those who are in rebellion against him, it instills the kind of fear we see in Adam and Eve after their sin in the Garden (Genesis 3:8).

Again, the psalmist writes, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). God has a plan, and he works all things together to accomplish that plan. The writer to the Hebrews, in speaking of God the Son, says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). All things are held together by the power of God’s word. God can do all that he pleases, for, as Jesus said to his disciples, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Solomon wrote, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Proverbs 26:33). God even brings calamity upon his people as he punishes them. Through Jeremiah God said, “Behold, I will send for all the tribes of the north, declares the Lord, and for Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants, and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction, and make them a horror, a hissing, and an everlasting desolation” (Jeremiah 25:9). The song of Moses, after the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea says, “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them” (Exodus 15:11-12).

God can do all things, and no one can stay his hand. Again, Nebuchadnezzar, after his God-induced madness realized this, and he said, “all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35).