Lesson 2: God’s Power, Presence, And Perception (the Omnis)

Remember that an attribute is a word someone could use to describe you that is true all the time. Knowing your attributes will help someone to know you better. Just like that, attributes of our Father God are those descriptions of God that tell us who He is so that we can know Him better, and by knowing Him better, we can trust Him as our Father. We have a God we can know.

Lesson 1 covered God’s Sovereignty. God is the sovereign ruler of His creation. He rules it with supreme authority and power. In this lesson, we will be studying three of God’s attributes sometimes called “the Omnis.” The word omni means “all.” The attributes of God that are the Omnis are: 1) omnipotence, 2) omnipresence, and 3) omniscience. Let’s break them down and see what they mean.

“You are all around me, behind me and in front of me. You hold me in your power. I’m amazed at how well you know me. It’s more than I can understand.” (Psalm 139:5-6 NIRV)

Omnipotence

God’s Omnipotence. We know the first part “omni” means all and the second part “potence” means powerful. So, putting those two together, we get “all powerful.” Omnipotence refers to God’s power. God is all powerful—more powerful than anything or anyone else in the entire universe.

1. Name some things or some people you think are powerful. After each one, say, “God is more powerful than that.”

You won’t read the word “omnipotence” in the Bible, but you will read many words that describe God’s power. One particular name of God refers to His omnipotence. That name is “Almighty.” God is called “the Almighty” or “Lord Almighty” 345 times in the Bible. The prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament talked about God’s power a lot and called Him the Lord Almighty.

2. Read Jeremiah 32:17. What did Jeremiah call God at the beginning?

3. What did Jeremiah say was too hard for God, his king?

4. When you think of God’s power, what comes to your mind?

God uses His power to do many things—to create and to perform miracles like parting the Red Sea, winning battles, and healing people. Every time Jesus healed someone, that was God’s power at work. Anyone who trusts in God can experience His power.

5. Read Ephesians 1:19-20. What does Paul pray for Christians to know?

6. For whom is God’s power at work?

7. How much power does it require to make a dead man alive again?

God’s power raised Jesus, who had died on the cross, raised Him up alive and with a new body that would never die again. That’s pretty powerful, isn’t it?

8. Read Ephesians 3:20. What does Paul say about how powerful God is?

9. And, where is His power working?

God uses His power to work for us and in us. And, we can ask Him to do that in our lives.

10. Do you feel confident that you can ask Him to work in your life, and He will do it?

That’s the first omni — omnipotence, which means all powerful. God is more powerful than anything or anyone else in the entire universe.

Omnipresence

The second omni is OMNIPRESENCE, which means “all presence.” When we say that God has “all presence” we mean that God is present everywhere at the same time. There isn’t any place in the entire universe where God cannot be found. God is present everywhere at the same time.

This is so well described in Psalm 139. Psalms are songs written by those who loved God and wanted to speak or sing His praises.

11. Read Psalm 139:5-6. David, who is the psalm writer here, is talking to God as he is writing. How does he describe God’s presence with him?

12. Read Psalm 139:7-10, 18. Where can we go to get away from God?

13. Is there any place far enough away that He can’t find us? Or, can someone hide us so God can’t find us?

14. Can you go to a place where God is not with you or cannot hear you calling out to Him?

The Bible teaches that God is everywhere at the same time. God is near you as you go about your daily schedule, whether to work, school, stores, or home. God is near you at each place. God is with you everywhere. In fact, wherever you go…He is already there! Even in the worst situation or location, you might not get a cell signal, but God is not blocked out! Ever!

15. How does that give you comfort?

16. When are some times that you need to remember that God is always wherever you are?

David, in his psalm, reminded himself that God was not only there but that His hand would be holding him close. And, he declares that God is still there with him even while he is sleeping. Next time you are scared or hurt or in life’s dark places, remember that God is with you right then. Picture Him holding your hand and gain comfort from that.

So, the second omni is omnipresence, which means all presence. God is present everywhere at the same time.

Omniscience

The third omni is omniscience. It’s spelled omni-science. So, it does mean God knows everything there is to know about science. But, it’s more than that. Our word “science” comes from an old Latin word that means “to know” or “knowing.” So, when we talk about God’s omniscience, we are saying that God is “all knowing.” That means that God knows everything there is to know. [Note: the word “perception” in the lesson title means to know.]

That can really baffle our minds. But, let’s talk about how that affects you personally. David wrote about this in the same psalm we just read.

17. Read Psalm 139:1-4.

• How many times did David use the word “know” or similar words (perceive, discern, etc.)?
• What does God know about you?
• Can you hide anything from God?
• Does anything good or bad in your life escape His notice or surprise Him?

18. Read Psalm 139:6. Write this verse on a card or in your journal.

19. Knowing that God knows you well—having created you to be the special, unique person you are—how does your heart feel about that?

God knows what is going on in your life. He also knows what is going on deep in your heart. And, He knows what is best for you!

The third omni is omniscience, which means, “all knowing.” God knows everything there is to know about everything.

Three Comforting Truths

The Omnis are three truths that are characteristics of God alone. What those words mean is that God is more powerful than anything or anyone else in the entire universe, is present everywhere at the same time, and knows everything there is to know.

So, what should that mean for your life? This is the truth you need to know and remember from this lesson: God is always near you, He knows what is going on in your life, and He can do something about it. That should give you confidence to handle anything.

Think of those 3 Omnis as a chair. When you sit on a chair, you get to rest. God wants you to rest knowing that He is always near you, He knows what is going on in your life, and He can do something about it. The Bible says that you can rest on that. And, you can trust Him in whatever He chooses to do for any situation you find yourself in today, tomorrow or the next day. Can you do that?

Trusting Your Father God

1) Bible verse to learn:

“You are all around me, behind me and in front of me. You hold me in your power. I’m amazed at how well you know me. It’s more than I can understand.” (Psalm 139:5-6 NIRV)

2) Response in prayer & praise:

When you talk to your Father God, humbly realize He can do anything. And, although He cares about every detail in your life, think about how small your problems are compared with how awesome your Father God is! Ask Him to help you trust that He is always near you, that God knows what is going on in your life, and that He can do something about it. Tell Him about your deepest concern then wait and see what your Father God does.

3) Discover God the Father:

Spend a few minutes reading these prayers and reflecting on how each prayer reveals someone’s understanding of and trust in God. Get to know Him well—this One who loves you dearly.

• Read Psalm 139. Reflect on what you read.
• Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30. Reflect on what you read.