Sometimes I fail to see the connection between theological principles and my everyday life. For example, I’ve learned about many of God’s attributes in my Bible study, but I haven’t always understood what they have to do with me. I want to explore one of those attributes with you and help you make some practical implications.

I’m sure God has attributes that we don’t even know about; after all, one of His attributes is that He is infinite, so He probably has an endless number of attributes. But the ones we know about can be divided into two categories: communicable attributes and incommunicable attributes.

His communicable attributes are the ones He shares with us. They are easier for us to understand because we have a shadow of them in us as image-bearers of God—things like love, mercy, justice. Those attributes may not look the same in us, but we can grasp them a little easier than His incommunicable attributes.

God’s incommunicable attributes are those that only He has. These are harder for us to understand because we can’t relate. They include attributes like omniscient, eternal, infinite, and omnipresent. I want to unpack God’s omnipresence a little bit because, if we can catch a glimpse of what it means, it could transform our Bible study, our perception of ourselves, and even our worldview!

“Omnipresent” means “All present.” In other words, God is everywhere. I don’t know about you, but there are times in my life that would be simpler if I could be in two places at once! Just keeping my family on schedule with our activities would be easier.

When we think of someone being in two places at once, we might think of an out-of-body experience where our spirit is detached from our body. This isn’t how God is omnipresent. There isn’t a central location, or hub, from which He sends out projections of Himself to different corners of the world. He is actually present everywhere all of the time.

A simple definition of God’s omnipresence is “God is fully present in all places at all times.” Let’s break down this definition one phrase at a time.

“Fully present”

We may not be capable of being in two places at once, but we claim to be able to accomplish two or more tasks at the same time. We call it multitasking. But the truth is multitasking is a myth for humans. We can only successfully multitask if only one of the tasks requires our full attention. For example, I can apply my makeup while I listen to a podcast. Applying my makeup is a habit that doesn’t require much thought, so I can focus on the podcast. That is, until I drop my blush container. Then suddenly I’ve tuned out of the podcast and am focused solely on recovering the container and mourning the shattered pieces on my bathroom floor. We are incapable of focusing on more than one thing at a time.

But God is not like us. He is fully present everywhere. That means that you have His undivided attention all of the time. It doesn’t matter if you are reading your Bible, taking care of your kids, working at your job, sleeping, or even doing something you shouldn’t, God is giving you His full attention. You always have God’s undivided attention. He is a personal God.

“In all places”

At the same time that you have God’s undivided attention, so does everyone else. While you have his undivided attention, so does the missionary in Africa, the pastor in South America, and the teacher in China. And His attention to them doesn’t take away from His attention to you. He is fully present in all places.

Ok, now buckle up because we’re going deeper!

“At all times”

The definition doesn’t say that God is fully present in all places at the same time, though that would certainly be true. It says, “at all times,” meaning in every time. So, yes, He is fully present with everybody at the same time, but He is also fully present with everyone across time!

To God, the past is not the past and the future is not the future. At the same time that He is sitting here with me writing this blog post, He is sitting with you reading this blog post, even though those events are happening at different times for us. At the same time you have his undivided attention right now, so does your grandpa 50 years ago and your kid 50 years from now.

I know, mind blown!

But why does this matter? What difference does it make for you in your life today? There are many implications when it comes to conversations about predestination, biblical justice, and His perfect timing, among others. But I want to focus on what it means for your time in the Word.

When God is sitting with you while you read His Word, He is also sitting with the man who penned the words, taking care to craft the words in such a way that they are written for you for this moment. Take a minute and think about that. I’ll wait.

Because God wrote the Bible from the vantage point of seeing everything and every time all at once, He crafted the words in such a way that they are relevant to every generation in every culture.

The next time you sit down to read your Bible, take a moment to realize that while God is there with you, He is inspiring the author of the text at the same time. I can personally attest that it will change your time in His Word!

If you want to learn to study the Bible on your own without having to depend on someone else to tell you what it means, download my FREE workbook: Learn to Study the Bible.