God's Omnipresence

Ella W. Hoag

When Moses felt afraid to undertake the work God had given him to do, because he recognized his own inadequacy, he asked God whom He would send with him to help him. Then God said to him, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest." This most wonderful promise which God made to Moses all men must eventually prove belongs equally to them. Every one must finally demonstrate that the fact of God's omnipresence is the solution of every human difficulty. Therein is the all-inclusive good which must be proved to be the annulment of every claim of evil.

The Christian Scientist accepts fully, at least from a theoretical standpoint, that since God is omnipresence there can be no other presence. He must, however, prove this true, since the suppositions of a mind and an existence in matter apart from God are constantly denying God's presence by claiming to argue for something exactly opposite to Him. In spite of this, however, God's presence continues to be infinite and all, and there is never a time when we cannot realize this presence and the power which goes with it.

Then it should make no difference to us what experience we may seem to be going through humanly, what the difficulty that must be overcome, what the dilemma from which we long to be delivered; in and through it all there is the fact of God's omnipresence—there He is to teach us all necessary lessons. Above all else, let us always remember that He is not only all-presence but that He is always all-acting. However insistently error may be claiming to produce all sorts of evil phenomena; however it may be seeming to vaunt itself, it has never done anything, is not doing anything, and never will do anything. God alone is acting, and His all-presence is but uncovering to the human consciousness all error that it may be reduced to its native nothingness.

Even when in the midst of the seething claims of evil, we may always recall that God's presence is with us and that He alone is acting. This is our deliverer from all evil; this is the truth that will steady our thoughts so that we may speak to any lie of evil with the authority which always accompanies the Word of Truth. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 571) Mrs. Eddy says, "Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil." Note this: "will supply ... the occasion"! Surely, then, since God is the only One who is acting at all times, we need never fear or doubt or be dismayed; for certainly the God who has provided the occasion for the victory will enable us to win it through the only thing necessary, namely, the recognition of His all-presence and power. Our beloved Leader also tells us (ibid., p. 565) that "the fiery baptism will burn up the chaff of error with the fervent heat of Truth and Love, melting and purifying even the gold of human character." Then why should we fear, since nothing can even seem to be touched but the false, the untrue, the unreal? The eternal presence, the infinite all of good, is always with each and every one of us, constantly revealing more and more of the true and the real.

In passing through any experience, however deep or difficult it may appear to be, we should never stop to murmur or lament. Suppose when Daniel found himself in the lions' den he had momentarily forgotten about God's presence and had begun to wonder, since he had served God so faithfully, why he should have been called upon to pass through such an experience. What, think you, would have seemed to occur? Or, if the three Hebrew boys in the furnace had allowed thoughts of complaint and questionings as to God's ever present goodness to absorb their attention, what would have resulted? No, none of them could have spent time in thinking about their trying situation, or of their own demonstration before or in it! They could only affirm their continuing loyalty to the God whom they, like Moses, knew was with them.

Then the work of the Christian Scientist is, after all, but to admit always and forever the great fact of God's omnipresence, and therewith deny every supposititious lie of any other presence or power. In other words, we have but to obey the loving injunction of our precious Leader, who on page 263 of "Miscellaneous Writings" writes, "Always bear in mind that His presence, power, and peace meet all human needs and reflect all bliss."

Ella W. Hoag

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