217. A God at Hand
Jeremiah 23:23, 24 Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? Saith the Lord, Do not I fill heaven and earth? Saith the Lord.
The attribute of God called Omnipresence contains a threat or a warning and at the same time a promise. God is a God at hand, not a God afar off. Actually, God is far off in that he fills the furthest reaches of the universe; He is also at hand, as close to us as our lips and heart. He is personally intimate and simultaneously distant. He is all over; He is also present to us wherever we are and wherever we go. God has always been here, but we see Him in the manger and on the cross. Jesus is “God with us.” This is the God who is at hand: “The kingdom of God is at hand.”
The threat and warning aspect of this truth is that the Lord knows where we are and sees everything we are doing. We cannot hide ourselves in secret places, just like Adam tried to hide from the Lord God; he couldn’t. God knows when and how we have disobeyed His Commandments. He is so close He knows our thoughts. Nothing is hidden from Him; we don’t get away with it. The curse of sin is always real; the punishment of sin in unchanged and terrible; the power of sin to destroy is ever present. Believers take this threat seriously.
The promise of this omnipresent truth is that the Lord is with us, He is here, He is present. He is as close to us as our own bodies. The blessed promise is that He is at hand with His love, grace, forgiveness, help, deliverance from evil, and answers to our prayers. When we call unto the Lord we may whisper and even just approach Him in thought. We do not have to shout to the heavens, repeat the prayers, make sacrifices, makes bargains, or do anything. We simply believe the Promise.
The Lord not only knows where we are and what we are thinking, but He also knows what we need and how to care for us. His love grants what is needed at the time we need it. We don’t have to wait for Him to come; He is already here, at hand.