God is omnipresent in that he transcends all limitations of space and is present in the fulness of his being in every place but in varying ways.
God transcends all spatial limitations
1 Kings 8:27 parallel 2 Chronicles 6:18 See also 2 Chronicles 2:6; Psalm 113:4–6
But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
God is present throughout heaven and earth
Psalm 139:7–12; Jeremiah 23:23–24 See also Numbers 14:21; Deuteronomy 4:39; Isaiah 6:3, Isaiah 66:1; Amos 9:2–3
Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”— even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.
“Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?” “Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
God sees and knows everything
Proverbs 15:3 See also 2 Chronicles 16:9; Zechariah 4:10
The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good.
God is near to all human beings
God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’
God is present with special groups of people
God is especially close to the poor and needy
Psalm 34:18 See also Isaiah 57:15
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
God is especially close to those who call on him
Psalm 145:18 See also Psalm 16:8; Isaiah 50:8
The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.
God's presence with his people
God is always present with his people
Exodus 33:15–16 See also Psalm 14:5; Isaiah 43:2; Zephaniah 3:17; 1 Corinthians 14:25
“If Your Presence does not go with us,” Moses replied, “do not lead us up from here. For how then can it be known that Your people and I have found favor in Your sight, unless You go with us? How else will we be distinguished from all the other people on the face of the earth?”
God's promise to be present
Joshua 1:9 See also Genesis 28:15, Genesis 31:3; Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 26:12; Deuteronomy 20:1, Deuteronomy 31:8; Matthew 28:20
Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
God is present in believers through the Holy Spirit
1 Corinthians 3:16 See also John 14:18; Ephesians 2:22; 1 John 3:24
Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
God will be acknowledged everywhere
Psalm 113:3 See also Psalm 72:19, Psalm 96:7–9, Psalm 96:11–13; Malachi 1:11; Revelation 5:13
From where the sun rises to where it sets, the name of the LORD is praised.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.