Dear Rose Park,
Our minds tend to wander. Whether it’s at work, in class, or sipping coffee at the breakfast table our minds naturally drift. Rarely are we fully present in one place. Too often our physical bodies are present, but our minds are somewhere else. Maybe you’ve had this while driving, during a phone call, or even in the middle of a Sunday sermon :) However, this is not the case with God. God is not only everywhere present but He’s also fully present everywhere.
God, the Good Shepherd, is not merely contained to the pens as are His sheep. Instead, God is omnipresent. Meaning there is no place on earth that God is not. In every single corner and cranny of creation God is there. From the jungles of the Amazon to the corner of 8th Street and College Avenue God is everywhere present. Try as you might, you cannot escape Him. Plenty of people have tried, but again there is nowhere in the universe that God is not. You might flee to another country like Jonah, bounce around from friend-group to friend-group, or quit your job and start all over, but you still won’t be able to escape the presence of God because God is everywhere present.
But God is also present everywhere. I know we’re splitting linguistic hairs, but stick with me. Though our human bodies can be present and our minds absent, God brings the fullness of Himself to every place. God isn’t half-listening to our prayer while also scrolling an iPhone. God isn’t speaking to us but avoiding eye-contact so He can watch the Tigers’ game over our shoulder. God is everywhere present and fully present everywhere.
This is all to say, wherever we go God’s fullness is there. No matter our circumstance, the Good Shepherd is not only there but He’s also fully there. We have His full attention, time, love, grace, and forgiveness. I’ve needed this reminder, and I wonder if you have as well, over the past few weeks. As a sudden and untimely death caused a ripple effect through my family: God is everywhere present and fully present everywhere. As Don Clark navigates treatment for lung cancer and Jack Hartman hears the painful news of a pancreatic cancer diagnosis: God is everywhere present and fully present everywhere.
Wherever we are and whatever our circumstance, let us find great comfort in knowing that the King of kings and Lord of lords is everywhere present and fully present everywhere.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Mark
Photo by Stephan Widua on Unsplash