Omnipresent means all-present, or present everywhere. From the Latin omni (all) praesent (being, existing, or occurring at this time or now).
So, to say that God is omnipresent is to say that God exists everywhere at the same time, now.
This is part of God’s infinitude that we can struggle to wrap our heads around. We can feel like we are so distant from God sometimes, but He is always with us. There is never a time when He is not with us. If He could ever not be with us, then He would not be omnipresent.
Not only is God always with us, but He can never not be with us. You cannot hide from God. He will not always force His presence upon you - like how He allowed Adam and Eve to think that they were hiding in the garden of Eden, but He will in fact always know where you are, and always be where you are.
And not only is God always present everywhere on earth, but He is also always present everywhere in heaven, and everywhere that exists - all at the same time. That is why I say that we exist “in” God. God is everywhere, and there is no “outside” of Him.
The Bible even says that God is present in hell. That doesn’t mean that hell is a place that you or I want to go, but it is a place that cannot exist without God being there too. God’s presence permeates all existence, and there cannot be anything that exists without His presence.
So, instead of praying for God to be with you, pray instead for Him to make you aware of His presence - to make His presence felt, and known, and experienced. We must pray for eyes to see Him, and ears to hear Him. God cannot leave you alone - from His perspective - but He does not force Himself into your awareness every moment of every day either.
God will make His presence known to you, though, if you ask Him to with a sincere heart and a receptive attitude. Sometimes He may make His presence known to you without you asking, such as in a dream, or a vision, or a visitation from an angel, but most of the time God is there in the space where we are not looking. The more we turn the eyes of our heart toward Him, the more frequently we will be aware of, and experience, His presence.
There are many things that God does outside of our awareness that we take for granted. The fact that you breath without awareness, and your heart beats without your awareness, and the grass grows, and the sun shines, and all of creation does not fall apart into chaos is because God is always there, everywhere, holding all things together.
Breathing is a good analogy to demonstrate God’s presence in our lives. Normally we do not think about breathing, it just happens, and our body tends to regulate if we are breathing fast or slow, deep or shallow, all without us ever paying attention to it. But, we can focus on our breathing. We can hold our breath. We can intentionally breath fast or slow, deep or shallow. We can count our breaths, or measure the pace and rhythm of our breath. But it takes a conscious effort for us to pay attention to our breath. And, if we do not intentionally hold our attention on our breath our mind will inevitably wander away from it, and we will have to consciously and purposefully bring our attention back to it. If you don’t believe me, try sitting still and staying fully aware of the in and out of your breath for 10 or 15 minutes. It’s not as easy as it sounds - although it can be quite relaxing.
It also takes a conscious effort for us to be aware of God’s presence. We take for granted all that God does for us, and even fret over the things we wish He would do for us, all without even acknowledging that He is not just keeping us alive in every instant, but that He is holding the entire universe, and heaven, and everywhere else together all at the same time, all the time.
God wants us to want to be with Him. He asks, even commands, us to meditate on His word, to pray to Him, to turn our hearts and minds to Him, to love Him. He wants to have a relationship with us, but He cannot be away from us. So, instead of being a psycho stalker that’s always in our face, He stays in a place where we can seek Him and ask Him to be with us. He knows our limitations, He covers our shortcomings, and He gives us space to explore and grow, all while being right there with us all the time.
God is always with you. You can ask Him to make His presence felt, and you can enter into the awareness of His presence through reading the Bible, praying, and worshiping Him. But also remember to thank Him for everything He does while you’re not paying attention. Count your blessings, and you will find that God is always there.
1 Kings 8:27 (NLT) “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!
Job 11:7-9 (NASB95) “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? “They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? “Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea.
Jeremiah 23:23-24 (NLT) Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the LORD. “No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the LORD.
Psalm 139:7-10 (NASB95) Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
Psalm 90:1-2 (NLT) A prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.
Colossians 1:17 (NLT) He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.