One of the characteristics of God is that He is omniscient; He knows all things. He is also omnipresent; He is everywhere. If this is true how can we explain the fact that Jonah fled from the presence of the Lord? A portion of Scriptures in the Psalms stresses the point that one cannot escape the ubiquitous power and presence of God. “Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I go up into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the furthest parts of the sea; even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me” (Psalm 139:8-10).
“The full graces of God are made available for those who walk in the centre of God’s will. His presence will back them up, and they will be able to overcome all oppositions.”
How then do we reconcile Jonah’s departure from the presence of God with the fact that God’s reach is everywhere? It is only in a technical sense that Jonah departed from the presence of God. To depart from the revealed will of God is like departing from His presence. At that point in Jonah’s life God’s backing for him was meant to be operational in Nineveh; but when he brushed the will of God aside, he found himself struggling in the belly of the Sea. The full graces of God are made available for those who walk in the centre of God’s will. His presence will back them up, and they will be able to overcome all oppositions. By the way, when we recite Psalm 23:6 to close our meetings, professing that we shall dwell in the presence of God forever, part of that is pledging to dwell in His will.