Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

This is the fifth installment in my series of posts on Jesus’ disciples

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.’”

John 1:45-49

How could someone’s perspective shift so dramatically? In just a short time, Nathanael goes from doubting if Jesus is even good to proclaiming Him as the Son of God. What could cause this drastic change? Nathanael recognizes that only God is omnipresent. Only He can see us at every moment of our lives, though the night may be so dark around us we cannot seem to see Him. “I saw you,” Jesus said to Nathanael. And so He says to each of us.

For the nonbeliever, I think the Lord’s omnipresence is one of the most threatening parts of being a follower of Christ. While they desire the comfort and provision of a relationship with God, the realization that He can see their every failure scares them—and so they run. They run from the righteous Judge, hoping that by doing so, they can somehow erase the guilt of sin. But like Adam and Eve, they are making a horrible mistake. By running from the Lord, we are not hiding our sin from His all-seeing eyes, we are simply withholding ourselves from our only hope. Nathanael’s response tells us the attitude we should have when we are confronted with our God’s omnipresence. He didn’t flee from Jesus’ presence, ashamed of the sinful heart inside Him. Christ, as God and King, deserves to be worshiped and adored. He knows our sin anyway, whether we come to Him for cleansing or not. The more we focus on the character of Christ, the more sin is purged from our own. Salvation has saved us from the penalty of sin; may sanctification save us from the practices of sin.

God’s omnipresence promises He is always with us. One of my favorite psalms, 139, says, “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” (v. 7-10). What else can I add to this? God’s presence is the most peaceful, secure, delightful, and joyous of places—and with the Spirit within us, we need never leave. I am so grateful that my life is dependent, not on the strength of my faith, but on the strength of my God’s faithfulness. Hagar called the Lord “a God who sees” (Genesis 14:13). She probably knew little to nothing about Jehovah God. But she did know He had never left her side.

I wrote in a much earlier post, “If you are traveling in a direction that requires saying ‘goodbye’ to God, you’re going the wrong way.” Sometimes we think receiving a mission from God sounds like: “I have something for you to do. If you need anything, call Me long-distance.” Instead, it sounds like: “I have a plan and a purpose. Walk with Me, and I will work in you and through you to accomplish My will.” Into any and every situation, we walk armed with the full armor of God: from the helmet of salvation down to the shoes of the gospel of peace. But far too often, we take off God’s armor piece by piece, throwing His provision to the ground and declaring, “I can do it myself.” The Lord didn’t design us to be self-sufficient—why do we demand it?

To me, one of the most beautiful things about God’s omnipresence is that it ensures our devotion can never be overlooked. Jesus says in Matthew 6:1,6: “‘Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven…But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you’” (Matthew 6:1, 6). I’m sure I’m not the only one who must constantly question my motives to be certain I am not working for the approval of others. Just remember, the one Person whose respect is worth the most is the Person who already sees every thought and action. Jesus knows what we sacrifice for Him. No one else needs to. As the key verse for this blog says, “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). He knows when you silently turn the other cheek. He knows when you remain dedicated to the work He has given you to do. He knows when you choose His way over the world’s. “‘Well done, good and faithful slave’” (Matthew 25:21).