Common Question #1--How Can God “Show Up” When He’s Everywhere all the Time?

By David Hobbs

There is a lot of confusion in the Body of Christ (the church) over sayings like “God showed up,” as in the statement “we were in the middle of the worship service when God showed up and all kinds of things started happening.”  Or “I need to pray-in God’s presence.” Isn’t His presence everywhere? So aren’t we always in His presence?  Why do we have to "pray it in?" This can be confusing, especially to those new to the Holy Spirit,.

We need to get clarity on God’s omnipresence (present everywhere at the same time) and His omnipotence (all powerful). Think of it this way. Though God’s presence may be everywhere and He is all powerful, that still does not mean that His will is being done everywhere. Satan is called “the god of this world” in 2 Cor. 4:4 (KJV), and it’s his will that is being done most of the time in the earth (which is why everything is so screwed up!). That’s why Jesus taught us to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We are to pray for God’s will to be done in the earth instead of the devil’s.

So how is it that God’s presence is everywhere but his will is not being done? And why, if God be all powerful does He not force His will to be done? And while we’re at it, how can God’s presence be even in the midst of Satan’s demonic councils where he schemes to kill, steal, and destroy?

We might have to adjust our thinking or it doesn’t make sense.

Think of it this way: God’s presence is everywhere in the sense that He knows what’s going on everywhere at all times, even things that are not His will. It’s like He has cameras and recording devices throughout all of creation recording every word, every thought, every action. He may not be in control of it now, but it will all be played back at the judgment: every word, every thought, even every motivation of the heart. He is omnipresent in the sense of knowing everything going on, even things He doesn't approve of.

But contrast that to when “God shows up” in a worship service. There God’s actual presence, in the person of the invisible Holy Spirit, comes into the meeting--a specific place at a specific time. Now His will is being done. That’s what the Psalmist is referring to in Psalm 16 when he says, “In thy presence there is fullness of joy.” He is talking about the specific, manifest presence of God. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. There is not fullness of joy everywhere in the universe, only where God’s presence manifests itself and His will is being done.

Likewise when we pray. God hears every prayer. But it can be like sending an email out into cyberspace. We know we sent it and we know it was received, but we don’t know what effect it had and may not know for a long time. 

But when God’s presence “shows up” in our life, it’s like holding a conversation with someone. There is interaction back and forth. The Bible shows this when it says that Moses "spoke with God face to face like a man speaks with his friend." How could that be possible unless God could manifest His presence in a specific place at a specific time?

I’ve prayed lots of prayers out into space as it were. But there have also been times when God has manifested His presence to me. Look at my post for Feb. 12^th of this year, “The Mountain was Quiet” for one such time.

These are the greatest experiences in a Christian’s life, when God comes to him during worship or prayer. That’s what it means to “have a personal relationship” with the Lord. How can you have a personal relationship with someone you never interact with?

The fact that God's presence is everywhere all the time might make the demons nervous, but they continue plotting and working against God's people anyway. But when God's manifest presence shows up, the demon's react in terror! [Mt. 8:29]