What To Do When God Is Everywhere

If there is no such thing as “secularism” (see my previous article), then how are we to live? If God is “everywhere present and filling all things,” how are we to spend our time in the day? It is possible to be distracted by such questions, to wonder whether Christians need to construct an alternative culture or to absent themselves into holy enclaves. Such a strategy, for the most part, is to miss the point. We are not being told that the culture is “secular,” therefore we must do something different. In my previous article I noted that there is no such thing as secular – this includes the culture itself. “Secularism” is nothing more than a false concept, a lie we tell ourselves as we ignore the Reality that permeates and upholds all of creation. It does not matter who invented the lie. Neither is it our task to erase the lie and build a “better” world. It is for us to live – to live rightly.

St. Paul gave instructions to Christians – at a time and place in which the culture was hostile to the gospel. The nature of his instructions apply to us as well:

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.(Col. 3:12–17)

There is an oft-quoted passage from one of St. Basil’s letters that echo in great detail the instructions of St. Paul. They come in a passage where the saint is discussing how to “pray without ceasing.”

Prayer is a petition sent by the faithful to God for the acquisition of some good. The petition doesn’t necessarily have to be sent in words, and I don’t think that God needs us to remind Him in words of our desires, for He knows what’s good for us, even if we don’t ask Him for it.

It’s not necessary to pray with articulation of the words—it’s better to replenish the power of prayer with the free will of the soul and virtuous deeds that would extend throughout our lives. Whether therefore ye eat, says the Apostle, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31). When you sit down at the table, pray; when you take your bread to eat, give thanks to Him Who gave it to you; when you strengthen the weakness of the flesh with wine, remember Him Who gave you this gift for the gladdening of the heart and the weakening of diseases. When you eat your fill, don’t forget about your Benefactor; when you put on a robe, give thanks to Him Who gave it to you; when you put on your outer garment, may your love for God multiply, for Him Who gave us a garment suitable for winter and summer—a garment that preserves our life and covers our shame.

When the day has passed, thank Him Who gave us the sun to serve our daily affairs; Him Who gave us fire to enlighten the night and to serve our other daily needs.

May the night give you other reasons for prayer. When you raise your eyes to Heaven and behold the beauty of the stars, pray to the Lord of what you have seen and worship God, the all-surpassing Master of the universe, Who created all things with wisdom. When you see that all living things have sunk into sleep, again worship Him Who allowed us, against our will, to suspend work for sleep, to rest a little and thereby renew our strength for further work.

Don’t allow your whole night to be devoted to sleep; don’t make half your life useless by allowing yourself to sleep, but divide the night between sleep and prayer. Even dreams give you the opportunity to think about faith. Most of the time images in our dreams are echoes of our concerns during the day. What concerns we have during the day we also have in our dreams.

By doing so, you will pray without ceasing. Don’t pray with words alone, but by uniting your whole life to God, and your life will be an unceasing and continuous prayer.

Our “head space” is under assault day and night by the great forces of modernity – primarily driven by a consumerist world. Nothing in that constant messaging is geared towards nurturing beauty, goodness, or truth (except the forms that can be bought and sold). We do well to limit our exposure, though it is unreasonable to expect ourselves to do more than that. It is not the absence of such messaging that is beneficial. Rather, it is the filling of our minds and hearts with the things that belong to God. Whenever that fails, we simply pick ourselves up and begin again.

The Russian writer, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, when asked about the terrible evils of the Soviet Gulag, and other nightmarish manifestations of modernity, offered a very simple explanation of all that had befallen our world: “We forgot God.” I would add to that the observation that every time we remember God, we allow ourselves to step into the truth of our existence. The secular delusion disappears.

Our minds have been so trained in imagining the world as bifuracted – “this belongs to God, that does not” – that we frequently have a hard time seeing His presence in all things. As I sit typing on my laptop, nothing about it seems particularly “religious.” I should add that “religious” is as much a “lie” as the notion of “secular.” My laptop just is. The scriptures tell us, “In Him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28). God Himself is the “only truly existing One.” That my laptop is, is immediately an affirmation of the God who gives us (and everything) existence. And, for that, we can give thanks.

And so we move through our day – giving thanks always and for all things – singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.

He-Who-Is is blessed, always and forever.

About Fr. Stephen Freeman

Fr. Stephen is a retired Archpriest of the Orthodox Church in America. He is also author of Everywhere Present: Christianity in a One-Storey Universe, and Face to Face: Knowing God Beyond Our Shame, as well as the Glory to God podcast series on Ancient Faith Radio.



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Comments

30 responses to “What To Do When God Is Everywhere”

  1. Steve Taylor Avatar

    Thank you Fr. Stephen .. timely truth!

  2. Jordan Avatar
    Jordan

    It’s really hard though… especially when you are looking at spreadsheets all day!

    The business world – even when the business is good business – is full of so many abstractions of reality.

  3. Jennifer (Nina) Avatar
    Jennifer (Nina)

    Beautiful. Amen. Thank you Father.

  4. Byron Avatar
    Byron

    I sometimes have a hard time looking at things like concrete or buildings and remembering that they are things God has provided. I think I look for a mechanistic, cause-and-effect type of provision as opposed to an allowing-to-happen provision, rooted in love.

    I suppose that, when a young child builds a house out of legos, he considers it a great thing that he has “created”. And he has done his best, to the extent of his abilities. And when men build bridges, cities, networks, satellites, etc., they consider them great things, done to the extent of their abilities. But none of these things have lasting significance. Fortunately, God’s provision goes beyond all of it. He has provided so much, and so much more.

  5. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Jordan,
    Indeed. Imagine the case of an early Christian, a slave, working in the mines. So, he crosses himself as he picks up his shovel, and pauses now and again to whisper, “Glory to God for all things.”

  6. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Byron,
    I sometimes let my mind go down to the level of particles and sub-atomic particles, and consider that God holds them together. Without Him, concrete doesn’t work, etc. And, looking at a city street, I also see the constant brilliance of nature as a blade of grass or a flower or weed come breaking through the asphalt, or even the potholes, where the earth fights back against the brutality of our “creations.” My heart is like a paved street, covered by asphalt-shaped wounds and such. But the potholes that appear allow the earth of my soul to breathe and flowers to spring forth, ever-renewing.

  7. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Ah, but the internal struggles to realize it all. They are legendary. The book “Unseen Warfare” a case in point.
    I have begun to rely on Mt 4:17: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

    Even knowing that my body and brain are easily drawn away.

  8. Margaret Avatar
    Margaret

    Thank you for this blog post, Fr. Stephen! Also thank you very much for the image created in my mind — and hopefully in my heart — with your comment to Byron here where you say: “My heart is like a paved street, covered by asphalt-shaped wounds and such. But the potholes that appear allow the earth of my soul to breathe and flowers to spring forth, ever-renewing.”

  9. Jeff Koach Avatar
    Jeff Koach

    Fr. Stephen,

    In light of the idea of God being present in all things, how should we think about blessing things? That is to say, a priest blessing a house, etc.? What is it that is going on when a priest blesses something?

    Jeff

  10. Laurie Marvin Avatar
    Laurie Marvin

    How do you understand Gods presence in dark places? Some saints have found God even in gulags. But at times he appears absent. Is this a reflection of ones own spiritual state?

  11. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Jordon, although I no longer use them, I always got a kick out of spreadsheets. I once made a graphic presentation of Church history, including its major schisms, using a spreadsheet. A well known Church Historian in my parish pursued it and pointed out a word I misspelled.

    They are useful and even beautiful in their own right by showing order. They are neutral in how that order is created and communicated.

    Do it badly a bad result, dishonestly perhaps even evil.

    Extremely reflective of the human heart, especially one’s own.

    Joy be with you.

  12. Adriana Avatar
    Adriana

    Beautiful article, Father Stephen!

    It brought to mind a scene from the movie “Man of God”, about the life of Saint Nektarios.

    One of the students was sick and the saint, together with the other students prayed (so beautifully) over night, for his healing. In the morning, the sick student gave signs he was much better so the other students rushed from his bed to the saint, to relay the good news.
    They found him in the garden, admiring a flower and drawing their attention to its charm and delicacy, which he called another miracle of God.

    It was such a brilliant juxtaposition – the miracle that we yearn and pray for arduously (in this case, health recovery) and the miracle that is with us always, which often goes unnoticed (in this case, a flower).

    God help us to see every day His almightiness, through His smallest of creatures, through His smallest of things!

  13. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Jeff,
    Fr. Alexander Schmemann famously said that in a sacrament, we’re not making something to be what it is not, but revealing it to be what it truly is. Something of this can be found in the language of St. Basil in his Eucharistic prayer: “And show this bread to be the precious Body of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ…”

    When we bless something – we are calling upon God to reveal it to be what it is. You cannot bless a car to be an airplane or a rock.

  14. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Laurie,
    I take it to be a reflection of our own spiritual state – which itself is not nothing. If I say to God, “I cannot see you, I cannot find you, help me!” I am speaking about the state that I’m in – and asking for mercy. I recall the verse in Psalm 139: “Lo, if I descend into Hell, Thou art there.” On the other hand, I certainly pray to be spared such a trial.

  15. anna sen Avatar
    anna sen

    Thank you Father and all you guys and girls who respond.
    I’m humbled by your beautiful sensitive souls!
    Blessings to all .

  16. Drewster2000 Avatar
    Drewster2000

    Fr. Stephen,

    I was thinking about we have come up with this concept of the secular. While this is probably a very large question, one thought is that it has to do with our fallen/broken state. We have a really hard time reconciling God, the virtues, Heaven, angel & saints…with all we see around us every day which is monotonous and indifferent at best, evil and full of despair at worst.

    So then we don’t reconcile them. All those heavenly things are good, while we are stuck in the pig sty because there was sin, we’ve been bad, and so on. I imagine this understanding is behind a common Christian practice of just holding our breath until this life is over (seen in practically all realms of Christianity in some form).

    They take the pagan motto of “life sucks and then you die”, and tack on “but in the next life we live happily ever after…if we were good enough at holding our breath in this one.”

    The breaking in of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now is un almost foreign concept to most Christians, I find. And this leaves the door open for other gods. “Sure I want to go to Heaven, but I wouldn’t mind winning the lottery while I’m waiting.”

    And thus the secular is born. God will make it all right someday, but for now I’m willing to supplement with painkillers and distractions, even though they aren’t officially approved of.

    Just some thoughts…

  17. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Drewster, good thoughts but the Evil One and his minions are ever watchful to stir up the confused and lukewarm into a confusion that looks good on paper but denies the Incarnational reality which is why so many deny the Mother of God, etc. It is not unassisted, IMO.

    The words my mother said to me: “God is real and you need to find Him” while also giving me a exquisite cross that had been a gift to her from a spiritual elder have been a beacon and a protection to my heart and helped me accept the Church when I found her.

    The Cross is just dawning on me.

  18. Dana Ames Avatar
    Dana Ames

    Father, is there a book where one can one find that quote from St Basil? The Englishing of it is very nice indeed.

    When I was a Catholic child, someone gave me a couple of illustrated books of stories of the saints, with age-appropriate language that even so did not talk down to children. St Basil’s life always stayed with me, along with those of some of the others, and I believe they were always praying for me even when I put them in the closet of my consciousness for a while… When I was on my way into Orthodoxy I discovered the rest of his family and the richness of holiness and love (and thought) among them. Glory to God who is wondrous in his saints!

    Dana

  19. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Dana,
    I copied and pasted that translation from another website. Everything else I saw was taken from the 38 volume Church Fathers – that uses a very stilted King James style English, and is not as readable.

    I can look around and see if I can get a good book source for you.

  20. Owen Kelly Avatar
    Owen Kelly

    Father, what a great article, thank you.

    You wrote at the end: “religious” is as much a “lie” as the notion of “secular.” If I understand you correctly, this means there is no need, at an ontological level, to reconnect/rebind (religio) God and the world because they actually never ceased being unified at the level of being.

    If this is correct, would you see the purpose of religion to be reconnecting man with God at an epistemic level? That is, to enlighten our ignorance and stimulate faith that God is actually with us, for us, and even in us? Hence metanoia as the fundamental change of mind…

  21. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Owen,
    I think I prefer the language of “becoming what we truly are.” I like the imagery of creation as being in motion. The question is whether (on the level of being) it is moving towards its proper end in Christ (its logos, or telos). But your suggestion seems to work well.

    When I said that religion is also a “lie” – I meant it in the sense that “some things are religious and some things are secular.” All things just “are,” and in their being they are moving towards the fullness of being (or resisting it).

  22. Owen Kelly Avatar
    Owen Kelly

    Thank you, Father. As someone has said, Your task is not to seek for God, but to seek and find all the barriers within yourself you’ve placed against Him.

  23. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Owen, forgive me but I understand what you are saying, it just seems needlessly complicated.

    I have been praying and contemplating one Bible verse Luke 4:17 and it’s complimentary verses in Matthew 3:2 and Mark 1:15

    Using Luke’s words: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!

    Contemplating these verses and praying the Jesus Prayer, simpler.

    My spiritual Father tells me I am unusual in relying so heavily on experience without going into the outfield, but I find just participating in the Life of the Church with and open heart always being prepared for joy and correction works best and is much simpler.

    Our Lord, His Mother and the cloud of witnesses around us and in us are always there, closer than hands and feet. Forgive me, but in my experience hearing them does not require an epistemic theological journey. The theology is glorious but it is an icon. One has to step through it.

    Knowing is deeper.

    Lord have mercy…

  24. Owen Kelly Avatar
    Owen Kelly

    Michael,
    May the Lord bless and keep you!

  25. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    May He bless and keep us all!

  26. Michael Bauman Avatar
    Michael Bauman

    Owen, I should have focused on the word I love, ontological, in your comment instead of the word which I do not. Forgive me.

  27. Owen Kelly Avatar
    Owen Kelly

    Of course, Michael. No problem at all. Thank you for saying that.

    In case anyone wonders, when I say “epistemic,” I’m referring to knowledge in general – anything from a symbolic, conceptual knowledge to an intimate, direct awareness, even including something like mystical intuition. I believe the human predicament is an epistemic one and not an ontological one: we have forgotten the inherent unity of Life. In our ignorance, we stand under the illusion of isolated separateness. But God’s proximity is not a problem. He’s closer to us than we are to ourselves. The problem is our understanding, i.e. our lack of “eyes to see” and “ears to hear,” etc. Hence St Paul’s climactic admonition in the letter to the Romans, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” And I believe that death to the illusion of a separate self is the only path of return to true knowledge of God.

    I hope that helps clarify what I mean by “epistemic.”

  28. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Owen,
    I think I would take exception to the statement that the human predicament is epistemic rather than ontological. Death is an ontological problem – rather than ignorance (of any sort). The Creeds and theology of the Church speak in ontological terms regarding the Incarnation, etc., rather than in epistemic terms. It is for certain that Christ addresses the epistemic crisis in humanity. But if our primary issue is epistemic, it would seem to look for a Gnostic answer rather than a Christian one.

  29. Owen Kelly Avatar
    Owen Kelly

    Fr Stephen,
    I think I understand your concern re: Gnosticism. As I’m sure you know, the ancient, heretical version taught that Christ brought a secret knowledge whereby we might escape an evil creation. I do not mean to say that. Rather, I point to what scripture calls a “saving knowledge” of God in Christ. That is, this particular knowledge (gnosis) saves us. I think it’s what Jesus calls faith.

    Just to clarify, are you saying that we are dead, or threatened by death, at the level of our being? It is in God Himself that we “have our being.” At the level of being, a thing “just is.” To me, it doesn’t seem we are lacking in terms of ontology/being, but in terms of knowledge. It’s true that scripture says we are “dead in trespasses and sins.” But what does this mean?

    I believe Ephesians 4:18 spells it out: “They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.” The reasons listed here are epistemic loci, it seems to me. Our “death” – i.e. apparent alienation from the life of God – is rooted in our ignorance. We need to wake up from sleep, having the eyes of heart enlightened. Illumination is a mental (though not necessarily conceptual) category.

    I am sincerely interested, Father, in how your view differs. To me, the New Testament speaks to our predicament in epistemic terms, whereas ontology is something that “just is” but must be revealed and realized. But I am willing to be shown otherwise. Thank you for the back-and-forth discussion!

  30. Fr. Stephen Avatar

    Owen,
    I have in mind both St. Athanasius and St. Dionysius (to a degree). Our “being” is not what it is intended to be. We do not yet have the “fullness of being.” We have being, and in Christ in this life we move towards “well-being,” while our End (telos) is eternal being. So, without even invoking the problem of death – there is an insufficiency of being (in its fullness).

    Second, death is not non-existence. God sustains us in existence. Non-existence is not an option. What we have, however, is a movement away from God in our rebellion, in which we move “towards” non-existence. It is a “me-ontic existence” – not true non-existence. The devil is called a “murderer from the beginning” because he hates even his own existence, as well as ours, and the existence of all things because every existing thing has a representational relationship with He Who Is – the Only Truly Existing One. The devil would like not to exist…and he would like everything else to not exist…but that is not in his power. So, as a “murderer” he draws things towards non-existence.

    Knowledge is too easily inadequate to describe the whole process of our life. As a category, it just doesn’t work as well as ontological imagery. Ontological imagery dominates in the Eastern Fathers, in the Councils and their dogmatic teaching.

    I would even say that the devil has “knowledge” but it does him no good. “The demons believe and tremble.”

    It’s certainly possible to use the lens of epistemic terms and read the New Testament. But, that’s not, as far as I can see, consistent with how the Fathers have read it through time. Ontological language, however, predominates. I purposely try to confine myself (where possible) to the mainstream of patristic imagery. Obviously we have to translate those things into images that work for us. I’ve found ontological imagery and language to be effective and useful in the course of my work.

    I think that if you expand your ontological understanding from the “just is” to ontology as something-in-motion, then it will work better. It’s also a very good pastoral image.

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