A few years ago, I was speaking with a Christian friend of mine. I told him about my three favorite “O” words to describe God. He seemed puzzled, because he had never heard of God described with these words, nor did he fully grasp what they meant.
The “O” words are…
Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent.
My first thought was, “What kind of church are you going to? Aren’t they teaching you the Word of God?” In hind sight, the Bible doesn’t use those exact words to describe God; with the exception where omnipotent is used once in Revelation 19:6 in the King James version.
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (Rev 19:6 KJV)
Even though those words are not used in the Bible to describe God, the Bible is full of truths and examples that prove that these three “O” words are accurate characteristics of God. Let’s look at their meaning.
- Omniscient – Having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things.
- Omnipresent – Present everywhere at the same time.
- Omnipotent – Almighty or infinite in power. Having great or unlimited authority or power.
My son has a very cool poster which lists lots of names and characteristics of God. These three “O” words are not on it, but most of the names, words or phrases could be categorized into one of these three words.
It is important for us as Christians to fully understand and believe that God is Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipresent (everywhere), and Omnipotent (all powerful). Once we grasp it, we can begin to see how God is fully sovereign. In case you haven’t heard of the word sovereign, it means a king with supreme power or authority. In other words, God is in full control at all times, and everything is His. He can do what He wants, when He wants, and how He wants. He will accomplish His will and His plan, and He will keep His promises.
We need to make sure that our children understand these characteristics of God. Knowing this will ultimately bring them great comfort and peace. It will:
- Help them get through the tough times in life; God is all powerful and knows what we are going through.
- Keep them on the straight and narrow path; God sees and knows all.
- Help them understand that we are not in control; God is in control.
- Teach them everything we are and everything we have is His; He is fully sovereign.
Over my next three blogs, I will dive deeper into these three aspects of God.
