The divine eye pierces all
MANY of us say that God sees all things but we sometimes act as if God is totally blind. Many of us believe that God is in all places at all times but we oftentimes pray as if God is sharing his divine presence with a partner. Many of us know that God’s infinite presence has no limitation or bounds but many of us worship God only within the confines of a particular place. Many of us recognize the fact that the omnipotent God should be the focus of our worship but many times we get carried away with the splendor of the rites and God is forgotten. Simply put, we forget and some instances, we deny that the divine eye pierces all.
***
God sees all our sins – not only the noonday sins but midnight sins as well. To believe otherwise is to reject God’s divine attribute of omnipresence. Jeremiah 23:23-24 expresses God’s being everywhere this way: “Am I only a God nearby and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth?” Please note that the Lord does not merely say “I am in heaven and earth.” He says “I fill heaven and earth.” God so fills heaven and earth that there is no place without him. Not only a part of heaven, not only a part of earth, but the whole heaven and the whole earth, at one and the same time. If God were only in one part of heaven or any part of earth, he could not be said to fill them as there is a part of heaven or earth void of him.
***
Can anyone hide from God’s presence? The answer is no, although many have attempted to do so. In the Book of Genesis 3:8, we see Adam and Eve, after eating the forbidden fruit, trying to hide themselves from the Lord among the trees in the Garden of Eden as if the thickness of the trees could screen them from the Lord’s eyes. Again, in the Book of Genesis 4:9, after Cain murdered his brother, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain replied, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
***
God’s divine attribute of being everywhere, that is being in heaven and earth at the same moment of time – is exclusively a property belonging to God as Deity. Nothing can be a partner with him. Jesus Christ, being God, is also omnipresent. John 10:30 says: “I (Jesus) and the Father are one.”
***
Remember Moses in Exodus Chapter 33 when he said to the Lord: “I beseech thee show me thy glory?” Before he made known to the Lord this request, Moses had heard the Lord’s voice out of a pillar of cloud or fire. Now Moses is getting bolder and wants a sight of God’s glory. The gracious reply of God was: “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. But,” He said, “you cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” The Lord continued: “There is a place near Me where you may stand on a rock. When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove My face and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.” (Exodus 33:19-23)
***
God’s special presence gives comfort and strength to Christians. The Bible is replete with instances when God’s presence changed the course of events. In Isaiah 41:10, God reassures us, “So do not fear, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
***
The powerful presence of the Lord should outweigh all our fears. Why? Because God’s presence is not a careless and negligent presence, but a caring presence. As Psalm 27:10 says, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.”
***
This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 LRV Building, Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.
Be joyful and forgiving! (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: villafuerte_nelly@ yahoo.com)