The OMNIs – Qualities of God We Were Never Meant to Reflect

The terms Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient are recognized as characteristics of Yahweh. He is All-present, All-powerful, and All-knowing. These aspects are unique to Him and Him alone. As image bearers of the One True God, we are called to reflect many of His characteristics: love, kindness, grace, mercy, patience, faithfulness etc. However, we often try to carry His God-qualities, the OMNI’s.

It’s a deception as old as Adam and Eve. Satan, disguised as a snake, speaks to Eve regarding the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He deceives her by saying if she eats of the fruit she will be “like God” (Genesis 2:5). Satan preyed on many of Eve’s desires, but the hook was the desire to be like God. That same deception is still being laid out in front of us today. Ancient strategies, new technologies.

The invention of the internet has opened the whole world up to our lives. With a few clicks or a quick search, we can know just about anything, purchase almost everything, and control many things all within the palm of our hand. It reminds me of the song we used to sing in church, “He’s got the whole world in His hands”, and seemingly, so do we. Which leads to a tricky situation and, in my opinion, a slippery slope, a deceptive trap to manipulate us into thinking we can be “like God” – present at all times, controlling all things, and knowing all things good and evil.

Omnipresence – the ability to be everywhere all of the time –  a quality specific to God. He is everywhere at all times because He exists outside of space and time. He can be present at any point in time (past, present, or future). He can be anywhere within the created universe. He has access to all people. This is a mind-blowing fact when you really sit and think about it.

We try to mimic this God-like quality when we allow ourselves to be available to others 24/7 and when we treat time as an unlimited resource. We give unlimited access to friends, family, job, or church and we fill our lives with many to-dos. We stretch ourselves so thin and wonder why our nervous system is a wreck.  

Our lives have been overtaken by this belief that people should have access to us all the time. This started when technology made it more convenient for reaching people. It has exploded into an overwhelming and daunting experience. Your phone rings, bings, sings, and notifications beg for your attention and participation. Friends, family, your boss, or co-workers call, text, and message via your phone, social media, or other messaging platforms. You’re in group chats for school, work, social media, and family threads. You can have two completely different conversations with the same person using two completely different platforms. It just feels exhausting.

Life was not meant to be lived in a constant bombardment of busy. We are called into a rhythm of life that flows from the love of the Father. In Genesis, when God had finished His work of creation, He rested (Genesis 2:2). God did this, not because He was exhausted from the task of creation, but to give us an example of rest. “By resting, God models rhythm for human life: work diligently, then cease and enjoy Him” (biblehub.com Genesis 2:3 commentary).

Jesus sets the example again in Mark 1:35, he got up early in the morning for secluded time of prayer. Jesus’ ministry is probably the best example for our busy lives. He called people to himself. He welcomed the crowds. He was sought out by people who wanted to be close to him, to touch him, to talk with him, to be healed by him, and to see his miracles, but he knew that his time with the Father was the source of his power and where he would find rest and rejuvenation for the work he was called to do.

It is a lie that our constant presence and attention are meant to be shared with the ENTIRE world. This is a characteristic of God, for which, we do not have the capacity to display. God and His Son, Jesus, showed us how to navigate a busy life by incorporating rest and solitude. Yet we wear busy-ness like a badge of honor while our eyes have bags under them, and our immune systems are weak from the lack of rest we so desperately need. I’m not saying ditch your phone, move to a remote island and live out your days in uninterrupted silence, although that sounds like an ideal plan. What I do mean is we need to set boundaries on who or what gets our presence and attention, when and where, and for what reasons.

We set these boundaries because we all have a calling to fulfill and if we want to walk in that calling, we need to let go of Omnipotence and walk in the designed rhythm.

Jesus’ ministry lasted three years. Even he had a time limit on earth and so do we. Think of your time and energy like your finances. You need a budget. Time and energy are limited resources, so they should be stewarded with care. Not every moment has to be productive or planned, but take an inventory on how much time is wasted on things that are not true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). Watch how much of your time is given to lust, gossip, lies, fear, disillusionment, and apathy. Our lives and our time are a precious gift from the Father. We have a responsibility to utilize it for His Kingdom Glory.

Omnipotence – all powerful – only God is all-powerful. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” (Lord Acton). In the hands of man, power manifests itself into a desire for wealth that turns to greed, a desire for fame that leads to pride, or even a desire for stability that leads to control. Unchecked, we often seek to hold that which cannot be held by our hands alone.

Psalms 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,”. Yahweh creates and sustains, we steward and maintain. God has called us to partner with Him, not take over and run away with the blessings He has given us.

When we place ourselves on the throne of our lives, as the head, our kingdom will crumble. King Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson the hard way. In Daniel 2-4 we see Nebuchadnezzar go through moments of belief and praise of the One true God and then fall back into pride. Daniel 2:37-38, “You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all – you are the head of gold.” (Italics mine).

Daniel is interpreting the king’s first dream. Daniel makes sure that Nebuchadnezzar is aware that first, God is the one who has allowed Daniel to interpret the dream, and second, that it is this same God that has given the kingdom, power, might, and glory to King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar seems to believe this as he states, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” (Daniel 2:47 ESV).

By Daniel 4:4 when Nebuchadnezzar has his second dream, the king has fallen back into old ways. In a final warning, Yahweh gives Daniel the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream. Daniel is horrified about what the interpretation means and of sharing it with the king.

Nebuchadnezzar’s pride has gained the attention of the Most High and not in a good way, “this is the interpretation, O king: It is a decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king, that you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” (Daniel 4:24-25 ESV, Italics mine).

All good things come from Yahweh (James 1:17), woe to those who attribute these good things to their own abilities. Nebuchadnezzar had been given many signs and opportunities to turn from his ways and follow the One True God. Twelve months after the interpretation of the second dream, it is recorded that King Nebuchadnezzar seals his fate by uttering the words, “…’Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’” (Daniel 4:30 ESV Italics mine).

The words were still on his lips when a ‘voice from heaven’ speaks his demise and fall from the grace of Yahweh. Nebuchadnezzar goes mad and spends many months in the wilderness with the wild animals. Once his punishment was fulfilled, his sanity was restored as was his kingdom with “…still more greatness…Now, I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (Daniel 4:36-37 ESV, Italics mine).

God gave humans dominion over the earth, but we are to lord over it in partnership with Father God. Our desire for power, without reverence for Yahweh’s gift, overshadows the Father’s design for us to be the ones to show mercy to the poor and needy, to exact justice for those who are being oppressed, or be the voice for those who are being silenced.

We can see from the story of Nebuchadnezzar power, wealth, and stability are not bad, it is when we elevate ourselves to the position of Master and credit ourselves as the ones who created our kingdom that we fall into sin.

Omniscience – God is all-knowing. He has every answer to every question and knows what is going on in every place in the world and in every heart of every person. I think that we can all agree that’s a lot to handle.

Now, take a scroll with me on any social media platform. I see wars in other countries, devastating natural disasters, starving children, a puppy playing with a toddler, what my aunt had for dinner last night, my cousin raging about the President and his policies, a quoted scripture, an ad for a lamp that I talked about 20 minutes ago, and every 30 seconds I see something new. If I scroll for an hour with new input every 30 seconds, that is 120 new pieces of information being categorized by my already overworked brain. It’s also worth noting that the multitude of information ranges so broadly from fear, worry, sadness, to joy, laughter, and intrigue all in one hour. You cannot convince me this rollercoaster of information and emotions are good for our physical bodies let alone our spirits.

Some of the physical detriments include the inability to focus, lack of memory retention, indecisiveness, apathy, depression, anxiety, chronic stress, tension headaches, and poor sleep quality (National Institute of Health). Where I do not see God and the fruits of His Spirit, I see the enemy at work.

Our human hearts cannot handle the weight of disaster, war, death, disease, famine, and children being harmed and abandoned. It’s overwhelming to our souls. Yet open your Facebook or Instagram feed or turn on the news and it is all we see. Story after story of tragedy and despair.

John Eldredge stated in his book Experience. Jesus. Really. “We are not made to be omniscient.” That sounds easy and obvious, but again, stop to inventory how often we are carrying omniscience. The overwhelmed or uneasy feeling after reading the news is a good sign that being "informed" can be hard on our health - mental, physical, and spiritual.

Anxious, depressed, hopeless, and helpless. This is where the enemy wants us; feeling incapable of making a difference in the world around us because the tragedy is SO big.

The reality is that the tragedies are big, they always have been, we have just not been in a position to see them every day all at once. The good news is our God is bigger. He chooses to partner with us to bring His light and kingdom into this world. The tragedies have always been here but so have people like you and I who have made a difference.

God calls us to the war, equipping us to be warriors on the front lines. We don’t have to be everywhere all at once, we don’t have to have all the power and influence, we don’t even need to know it all (and it’s best if we don’t because we might get overwhelmed by all God has planned). We leave all of that to our big God. All he asks of us is to be willing to move in the places He asks us to move. Stand in the gap. Speak up for those who have no voice and are oppressed. Work for justice. Serve the weak and needy. Shine His light in a dark world. Bringing the Hope of His love to all He puts in our way.

As disciples of Jesus, we must take Jesus as our example. He was fully God and fully human, so we see His God qualities throughout scripture, but He shows us how we are to live out our lives within the constraints of our humanity. Now, we are not Jesus, who is perfect, but Philippians 2:5-6 sums this up well, “…Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,..”. If Jesus, in human form did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, why do we? 

When we stop trying to play God by being available to everyone all of the time, we can be available to the few individuals God places in our lives. It’s not about quantity it about quality. When we stop placing ourselves on God’s throne as the sole ruler of our kingdom, we open a new world to see God’s power and control at work in our lives and in the lives of others. When we stop trying to know all the events of the world, we can focus on local efforts or passions that God has placed on our hearts.

Everything we put into His hands will bear fruit and multiply. Let us reject the lie that we can and should do it all and embrace the call to lean into the places God has opened for you to shine His light and to bring His kingdom to earth trusting in His all-sufficient presence, power, and knowledge to lead you.