G.o.d"s presence spans the entire universe and whoever you are, wherever you may be, G.o.d"s presence is there. Jonah was trying to run away from the presence of G.o.d because he didn"t want to go to Nineveh as G.o.d instructed. But in the course of running, he caused trouble for everyone in the same ship with him. So also in your life, safety and divine protection may not be guaranteed in as much as you are running away from G.o.d"s presence; it"s just like a man running against the wind.No matter how contrary the circ.u.mstance may look like, G.o.d"s presence is sure for you as long as you are on the path of fulfilling divine mandate.
Unlike Jonah, in the case of Apostle Paul, G.o.d had mercy on 276 prisoners because of Paul when he was on his way to Rome as a prisoner; not as a criminal but for the sake of the gospel. There was a turbulent storm and the people were in crisis for 14 days and it was as if everything was about to come to end but G.o.d kept them. An angel of the Lord appeared to Paul in the ship to a.s.sure him of divine protection; not only of his life but also of others in the ship:
...Fear not, Paul: thou must be brought before Caesar: and lo, G.o.d has given you all them that sail with you
Acts 27:24
G.o.d is Omnipresent; He is present everywhere, but He is not working everywhere. G.o.d is present everywhere; even in the coven of witches; that is why He knows what they do, but He is not working there.
There are two types of G.o.d"s presence: manifold presence (just being there; manifest presence (the working presence).
G.o.d"s manifold presence dwells everywhere and upon everything He made. No river can flow without the presence of G.o.d; no bird can sing if not for His presence. That was why Jonah, Adam and Eve could not run away from G.o.d"s presence. As the work of His hands, there is nothing we do that can be hidden from G.o.d; even the acts of the unG.o.dly are not hidden from G.o.d.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in h.e.l.l, behold, thou art there.
Psalms 139:7-8
In the above verses of the Psalm, David was talking about the manifold presence of G.o.d. A son can still suffer in the presence of his father if the son is stubborn. If the son continues in stubbornness, the father may be present but his presence may not manifest in the life of the son. In the Old Testament, G.o.d was with His people and for them but not in them. But we thank G.o.d that as New Testament believers, we have a better covenant. G.o.d is not only with us or for us, but also in us. May G.o.d manifest in your life. May the unG.o.dly not say "where is your G.o.d"?
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Heb. 13vs 5-6
The manifest presence of G.o.d is the activated presence of G.o.d. G.o.d may be the G.o.d of the whole world but as a believer, He is your father. He wants to manifest in your life to prove to the unG.o.dly that He is G.o.d. Anybody can enjoy G.o.d"s manifold presence, as His handiwork (creature), but only G.o.d"s children can enjoy the manifest presence of G.o.d.
G.o.d"s manifest presence was on Samson; no wonder he was able to pull down pillars and the gate of a city and carry it to the top of the mountain. But when G.o.d"s presence left Samson, he became an ordinary man. He was captured and made to grind for the enemy; his eyes were gouged because the anointing had left him.
When the divine presence of G.o.d was on Elijah, he could bring down fire from heaven, but when it was gone, Jezebel sent a message to him, "by this time tomorrow, you will be dead" and he fled out of fear.
As a Christian, if you are not bold, it means you do not have a revelation of G.o.d"s manifestation. His manifestation makes us live supernaturally. The easiest way to win the battle of life is to stay connected to the spirit of the Father and move with Him.
And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Exodus 33:14
We can invoke G.o.d"s manifest presence through prayer and by not minding how fierce the battle may be, if only His manifest presence is there for you, you have won because the spirit controls the physical.