"Where Is God?"

Written by Robert E. Bailes

God's Presence In Our Lives
(Photo-Helix Nebula)


Jonah 1:1-6

We learn in the Bible that God is omnipresent, which means that He is everywhere at all times. We often forget that God is with us ALL of the time and that He wants to communicate with us. God constantly reminds us of His presence through His Word. He tells us of His creation and how everything in our universe is under His control. If we were to live every day realizing that God sees all we do, hears all we say and knows everything that we are thinking, we would obey and commune with God more often. Our children will also learn more from our actions rather than our words. When a child sees their parent in communion with God, they learn how also and gain a desire to be in communion with God as they desire to be like their parents.

How do we know that God is right here right now?

God's Word is a constant reminder of His presence. Let's read Jonah 1:1,

Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

In Old testament times God spoke His Word directly to the prophets. Today God has written down everything He wants us to know and put it in the book that is titled "Holy Bible". We also, like Jonah, receive the very words of God. We receive them through the preaching and reading of the scriptures in the "Holy Bible".

How often do you spend time in God's Word? Do your children see you in the Word? Do you share the Word with them too? When, where and how often do you have your own private time with God? These are questions for us to think about as we find ourselves desiring the presence of God in our lives.

God's all-seeing eye is another reminder of His presence. Let's read Jonah 1:2-3,

Jonah 1:2-3 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. 3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

God had seen the wickedness of Nineveh. God had also seen the city that Jonah had run to; the ship that he had boarded and where he was going. We might think that we can do as we want when we are away from those who know us but we would only be fooling ourselves if we thought that God doesn't know what is going on in our lives.Let's read Proverbs 15:3,

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Another constant reminder of our God's presence is in His incredible creation. Let's read Jonah 1:4-5,9,

Jonah 1:4-5 But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.
Jon 1:9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

Those sailors were slapped in the face with the reality that the God who actually created the world was alive and had sent the storm that they were in the middle of and had been battling to survive. How did Jonah describe God to the sailors in verse nine? Jonah said the he feared the Lord, the God of heaven, which made the sea and dry land.

When ever we take a close look at the earth and our solar system, it directs our attention to our Creator! The things that we find there didn't just happen; no more than the idea that the birth of a child just happen one day without any design, plan or pregnancy! Let's read Genesis 1:1,

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Do our children know how we feel about these things? Let's take time to tell them what we believe and how it impacts our lives, in public as well as private.

Another way we find God's presence is through the availability of God through prayer. Let's read Jonah 1:6,

Jonah 1:6 So the ship master came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

Don't you think Jonah should have been praying in a time like this? Maybe he was worn out from his running from God and finally collapsed in exhaustion. Let's think about the things that we may have in our lives that keep us from praying. Maybe we have been so busy with everything else that we just collapse when it is time to pray.

Let's make sure to prioritize and teach our children of the importance of prayer each day as they too develop their habits and desires that will one day control their lives; good or bad.

Knowing the storm was from God and that only God could stop it, what did the sailors do in verse thirteen?

Jonah 1:13-14 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them. 14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

At first they tried to row harder to save their ship but it didn't work. Then they cried to the LORD asking for mercy in the storm and asked that they not perish for Jonahs life but also to not punish them for getting Jonah out of the ship. They knew Jonah was being chastened by God even though they had prayed to other gods earlier. I would feel confident saying that these men had become believers through this experience.

Usually we need to stop rowing and realize the presence of God through the storm and ask Him for guidance in what we should do. Let's think about ways that we could have done this in the past week, day or hour and remember the presence of God in our lives the next time the storm comes our way. Continue in His presence by faith knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.