Where Is The Lord God?

"He (Elisha) took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over." (II Kings 2:14.) Elisha's question quoted above, part of which is used as the title of this message, has to do with a special manifestation of God's presence and power. Elisha's prayer, expressed to Elijah and quoted in verse 9, was answered, and Elisha found that God was with him as He had been with Elijah, even to the extent of a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Taking this text as a point of departure, let us note some Bible answers to this question in a broader sense: Where is the Lord our God?

In the broadest sense, God is everywhere, He is omnipresent. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?" asked David. "Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up to heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there." (Psalm 139:7,8.)

Jeremiah quotes from God Himself: "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord, Do not I fill heaven and earth? (Jer. 23:24.)

Solomon was wise enough to understand that the temple which he had built could not limit the presence of God, but could serve only for a special manifestation of that presence: "Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!" (II Chron. 6:18.) In the New Testament we find the apostle Paul declaring the same truth, that God is "not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:27, 28.)

"God is in heaven, and thou upon earth." (Eccl. 5:2.) True, this quotation is from Ecclesiastes, a poor source of proof texts, since it is but the inspired record of a man s natural reasoning and natural wisdom "under the sun," and much of this natural wisdom is foolishness with God. (I Cor. 1:20.) But Jesus Himself taught His disciples to pray, "Our Father which art in heaven." So there is a sense in which God is in heaven rather than on earth. So Christians are commanded to "seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the fight hand of God." (Col. 3:1.)

We read of the martyr Stephen that, "being full of the Holy Ghost," he "looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55.) Something of the difference between God s presence everywhere, including earth, and His fuller presence in heaven seems to be figured in Isaiah 66:1: "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool." If we can grasp the thought that, while God is everywhere, yet He is especially present in heaven, and that in a sense in which He is not on earth, we are ready for the further teaching of scripture that He is present in certain places, persons, or conditions on earth in a sense in which He is not present elsewhere.

The Bible definitely and clearly teaches that God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, dwells within every individual child of His. This personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the lives of His children must be a special measure, degree, or manifestation of His presence in order to mean anything at all. In other words, He must be present in His children in a sense in which He is not elsewhere present on earth.

Jesus, speaking of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, said to His disciples, "He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:17.) Following the descent in power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled, and this personal indwelling of the Spirit of God is now part of the experience of every child of God. The fact of this personal indwelling is plainly set forth in the eighth chapter of Romans, where we read in the 14th and 9th verses, respectively: "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Moreover, we read, especially in the book of Acts, of special bestowals of the Spirit, disciples who already enjoyed His indwelling receiving Him in added fullness and power, including sometimes the power to work miracles. We can all see that the Spirit was present with these workers of miracles in a sense beyond His presence in ordinary disciples in ordinary times.

Writing to the saints at Ephesus, Paul told that church: "Ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." (Eph. 2:22.) To Timothy the apostle expressed his concern for proper behavior "in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Tim. 3:15.) Examination of the context, referring to bishops and deacons, shows clearly that Paul was thinking about what some people call a "local church," which is in fact the only kind of church that can be found in the Bible. In I Cor. 12:27 we find the apostle telling that church: "Ye are a body of Christ." The definite article of the King James version is not in the original language. In the third chapter of this same book (I Corinthians), Paul wrote that he laid the foundation, namely Jesus Christ, for this church at Corinth, and then warned other men to beware how they built upon this foundation. In verses 16 and 18 we read: "Know ye not that ye [plural] are a temple [singular and without the definite article] of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

Note that in verse 16 we should read "a temple of God." In verse 17 "the temple" is correct, referring to the church at Corinth, as shown in the preceding verse.

Our Lord and Master, giving instructions to His church with reference to dealing with personal differences (Matt. 18:15-20) gives us the positive assurance in this connection: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." The context makes it clear that He was referring to a gathering of one of His true churches.

To sum up, we can say with confidence, on the authority of God's own word, that while He is present everywhere He is especially present in heaven; and on earth He is present in the hearts of His children and still more in the gatherings of His churches in a sense in which He is not present elsewhere. Such is the privilege of our fellowship "with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." (I John 1:3.)