Omniscient/omnipresent God

If we know how great the love of Jesus is for us, we will never be afraid to go to Him in all our poverty, all our weakness, all our spiritual wretchedness… we will prefer to come to Him poor and helpless. We will never be ashamed of our distress. Thomas Merton

My prayer today is that of Jehosophat “Lord I am powerless against this challenge in my life. I do not know what to do and I am looking to you for help. (2 Chron 20:12 paraphrased) Jehosophat faced a massive army that outnumbered his own. He stood before the people and announced to God that he didn’t know what to do. I respect that.

As Jesus/God is omnipresent, running away from Him may mean you run right to Him. Thank God, God is everywhere. In our thoughts, our failings and misgivings, our frailties and brokenness, our triumphs and daily lives. We can ignore Him but He doesn’t go away. How can He? The omnipresent, omniscient ruler of the universe. He is in all, sees all, is all. He is everything, initiator of restoration and faith itself.

Know that I am God... and be still.

Be still and know that I am God. Ps 46:10

My natural modus operadi is the complete opposite of this. I am not still, ever. I cannot meditate, I can not rest, take a moment. Hectic, frantic, frustrated, impatient. 'Being still' is not so much a nice meditative Psalm for me but an unattainable command. I cannot do it... on my own. Over the last week or so it has become the mantra of my overactive brain. Yesterday during an unusual two hour walk on an unusually beautiful Autumn morning, I had a the joy of experiencing the stillness of my local inlet and estuary at 7am in the morning. The water was silky smooth; the light clean and clear and absent of the intensity of later in the day. Light rested on the hills. It was too early for Saturday morning traffic, so even the roads were unusually quiet.

It was peaceful and calm and serene. Everything I was not. I realised that being still could be a choice, the knowledge of God was all around me, I knew He was there in the sweep of his creative hand, gracing me with the beauty of His creation. I did not feel still, but the knowledge of Him allowed me to 'know' he was God, placing peace in my heart and and my mind. Having first the knowledge of Him allowed me to be still rather than the other way around. And I loved it.