The ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He watches all his paths,

Proverbs 5:21, NASB

Have you thought much about the omnipresence of God and what it really means to us? God literally is capable of seeing everything we do - good or bad. This particular passage is in the middle of a set of instructions that warn us about the sin of adultery. In it, the Lord reminds the adulterer that everything we do is in plain sight of God.

Think about that for a moment. When we sin and are aware that we are sinning, we don't want anyone to know what we are doing. This is especially true with a sin that is consequential as adultery. In our modern world of "gopros'' and security cameras, we understand all too well that someone might be watching. It aggravates us to know that that someone has installed a camera to monitor whether we stopped at a redlight, but it comforts us to know that our "ring doorbell" allows us to see any suspicious activity going on outside our front doors.

In a like manner, understanding the omnipresence of God will make us either comfortable or uncomfortable, depending on what activity we happen to be involved with. The solution, at least for those who are wise, is to stop doing things that you are ashamed of and don't want to be caught in. It may anger some that God can see everything, but we must know that He does everything for our benefit - even to the point of monitoring our bad behavior. And though I think most of us would be quick to agree that we don't think it is the business of our government or some nosey neighbor to be spying on us with unseen eyes, this cannot be our attitude towards God. He is always there, and He is always watching. And He always has the right to do so.

But why does He watch? Have you ever wondered about that? Well, why does a manager watch a new employee when they are training? He does so to make sure that they do not make a mistake that might cost the company money, but he also watches for the safety of the new worker. Some jobs are dangerous, and there is comfort in knowing that someone knows if you are doing something that might be too risky so that they can steer you away from serious problems. Managers also observe our behavior because they are looking for people who might be a detriment to the company and who therefore might need to be let go. But they are also looking for people who are excelling in order that they might promote and reward them.

God is doing the same thing, only He does not have any of the fallibilities that men may possess. This life is very much a training ground, but it is also a proving ground. God gives us ample opportunity to learn His ways so that we might walk in them. He also expects us to grow, so we need to be making progress. Why? The answer might surprise some, but not those who are familiar with the Bible. It is because God rewards excellence! I am not suggesting that we are going to earn our salvation, for anyone with even a modest understanding of God's Word will understand that you cannot do that. But He still rewards good behavior. Now this concept will offend some, but that is because they are unfamiliar with God's teachings. Just do a Bible search of the word "reward" sometime and you will see.

God's reward is always associated with a man's conduct, but so too is his punishment. This is a large part of the reason that God is always watching us, but there is something more to His omnipresence that should comfort us all. That something is just this: He knows when we need Him! Just think about it for a moment: When we pray for God to help us have a safe trip, God can see us on that trip. Who knows how many times He has intervened for our safety because He is seeing the dangers we face? Or how about when we pray for those whose health we are concerned about? Or how about when we have a friend or family member who might be going astray and are praying for God's assistance?

It is true that He will not always intervene in the way that we had in mind, but isn't it comforting to know that He will act in the perfect way every time? One of the things that we must always keep in perspective is that we are servants of God. It is not the other way around, even though there are those who would pray to God as if they were giving orders to an underling. When we pray it has to be with the understanding that His will in every situation is perfect, so we need to be praying with the firm desire that His will be done. Even Jesus prayed for God's will on that fateful evening in the garden, and even though God did not grant Jesus' request that the cup be passed from Him, God did fulfill Jesus' request that God's will be done and not His own.

And God's will is perfect, wouldn't you agree? This is why it is a good thing that He is always watching, being always aware of what we need, and always being willing to supply those needs in the very best way possible. It is good that God sees us when we are struggling with the temptation to sin, because He has the ability to rescue us from those temptations. It is good that God sees us when we have needs - whether physical or spiritual, that only He can supply.

There is on final point that should be made. It is good that God is always attentive to the prayers of the righteous, but it is critical for us to understand one other truth about His omnipresence: When we separate ourselves from Him because of our sin, He tells us that He will not hear, and He will not help (Isaiah 59:1-2). It is not because He cannot - it is because He will not. And this is not because He doesn't love us anymore; rather, it is because sin separates us from that help. We can come back to Him and restore that precious fellowship anytime we choose to repent, but until then, we will find ourselves outside of God's protection. And when that is the case, we will miss God's watching over us and seeing everything we do... and we will want it back! 

Have you ever considered the omnipresence of God? If not, it is time to start - and time to be grateful for this great gift!