On Thy Omnipresence
“Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit, or whither shall 1 flee from Thy presence?” — Ps. cxxxix. 7.
The Ubiquity of God! How baffling to any finite comprehension! to think that above us, and around us, and within us, there is nothing but Deity — the invisible footprints of an Omniscient, Omnipresent One! “His eyes are on every place!” on rolling planets and tiny atoms, on the bright seraph and the lowly worm; — roaming in searching scrutiny through the tracts of immensity, and reading the occult and hidden page of my heart! “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
♦’ God, I feel Thy presence nigh,
Everywhere o’er nature’s face!
Wheresoe’er I turn my eye,
I Thy living footsteps trace!
Naught can sever me from Thee — Everywhere Thou art with me!”
O God! shall this Thy Omnipresence appal me? N’ay, in my seasons of sadness and sor row and loneliness — when other comforts and comforters have failed — when, it may be, in the darkness and silence of some midnight hour, in vain I have sought repose — how sweet to think, “My God is here!” I am not alone. The Omniscient One, to whom the darkness and the light are both alike, is hovering over my sleepless pillow! “He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!”
O thou eternal Sun! it cannot be darkness or loneliness or sadness where Thou art. There can be no night to the soul which has been cheered with Thy glorious radiance!
“Lo!/am with you alway!” How precious, blessed Jesus! is this Thy legacy of parting love! In the midst of Thy Church till the end of time — ever present, omniireBent! The true “Pillar of cloud” by day and “fire by night,” preceding and encamping by ns in every step of our wilderness-journey. My soul! think of Him at this moment in the mysteriousness of His Godhead nature — and yet, with all the exquisitely tender sympathies of a glorified humanity, as present with every member of the family He has redeemed with His blood! ay, and as much present with every individual soul as if He had none other to care for, but as if that one engrossed all His affection and love! The Great Builder, surveying every stone and pillar of His spiritual temple — the Great Shepherd, with His eye on every sheep of His fold — the Great High Priest and Elder Brother, marking every tear-drop — noting every sorrow — listening to every prayer — knowing the peculiarities of every case; no number perplexing Him — no variety bewildering Him — able to attend to all, and overtake all, and answer all; — myriad wants drawing hourly on His treasury, and yet no diminution: that Treasmy, ever emptying, and yet ever filling, and always full!
Jesus! Thy perpetual and all-pervading presence turns darkness into day. I am not left unbefriended to weather the storms of life, if Thy hand be from hour to hour piloting my frail bark. Gracious andidote to every earthly sorrow, “Z ha’De set the Lord always before nneP’’ Even now, as night is drawing its curtains around me, be this my closing prayer — “Blessed Saviour! abide with me, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent!” Under the overshadowing wings of Thy presence and love,
“I WILL BOTH LAY ME DOWN IN PEACE AND SLEEP; FOR THOU LORD, ONLY MAKEST ME DWELL IN SAFETY!”