We often desire to be in more than one place at one time. We try to at least optimize what time and presence we have, yet still experience the much dreaded FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).

The desire to extend our experiences can take many forms - simple calendar optimization (often resulting in over-scheduling), social media sharing, video conferencing, real or virtual assistants. All these can "extend" our physical presence and maximize our experience of the world.

But I can experience loneliness even with others present. How much I interact with those around me matters a lot, and how much I want to interact with those NOT around me can matter even more. At times it may even seem that God is not with me - but He is. Always.

A short-term spell of being alone can encourage me to strengthen the depth and breadth of my relationships, but long-term loneliness has been proven to be hazardous to both physical and mental health. A CDC survey several months into the COVID pandemic reported that >40% of respondents had symptoms of anxiety or depression, with 26% indicating that they had started or increased substance use as a way to cope. The psalmist below presents a believer’s perspective - that God’s continuing presence provides positive guidance, companionship and security. And this guidance always encourages me to love other people, which is an extremely helpful practice to combat loneliness.

FoMO (Fear of Missing Out) was first identified by a marketing strategist in 1996 and is a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experiences from which one is absent. This social anxiety is characterized by a desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing. (Wikipedia)

FoMO's opposite, JoMO (Joy of Missing Out), is defined by the Urban Dictionary as, "You’re enjoying what you’re doing in the here and now and not on social media broadcasting or seeing what everybody else is doing."

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon concludes that life is a gift from God with which to serve God and do good - and to actively seek joy even in what we may consider toil. He does not tell me to seek joy in what I choose not to do or am not able to participate in.

In the midst of suffering, pain, sickness, sorrow, warfare, and natural disasters, it is hard to perceive a loving and merciful God simply watching it all go down. I can deal with this apparent disconnect either by denying His presence or by trusting that God is present and has a good reason for allowing the difficulty.

God is not the substance of things, but is transcendent over all things and is separate from His creation. Humans are not, and never will be, omnipresent. Some classify attributes such as omnipresence as God's incommunicable attributes, meaning it will never be imparted on humans. But having His image means I can still feel it in my desire. Omnipresence does not mean we perceive God everywhere in the same manner.

Jesus, as God, shares all of God’s attributes. Jesus willingly limited Himself to his physical body while on earth, but then affirmed His omnipresence for eternity. His blood is the means by which God brings me near to Him.

Acknowledge the presence of God at any given moment and consider what His presence brings. Realize God is always very tangibly present in His Word. "A man may hide God from himself, and yet he cannot hide himself from God." - William Secker (Puritan author)
Ask: How have I recently called on God?

God, You are with me always. Remind me of this when I feel like you are not present. Help me to be aware of Your image in me, as well as Your Spirit.

We’ve known for some time now that electrons can exist in more than one spot, so when will humans be able to do that? Current research recently expanded the size and caused a 2,000-atom molecule to be two places at once. No, it is not considered likely that humans will ever be able to exist in more than one location, but it should open the mind of an unbelieving physicist to the potential for an omnipresent God.

“About 80 years ago, scientists discovered that it is possible to be in two locations at the same time—at least for an atom or a subatomic particle, such as an electron. For such tiny objects, the world is governed by a madhouse set of physical laws known as quantum mechanics. At that size range, every bit of matter and energy exists in a state of blurry flux, allowing it to occupy not just two locations but an infinite number of them simultaneously.” - Discover magazine, June 2005

Although God exists everywhere at all times, a clear understanding of who He is has not. Even after Jesus physically revealed Himself on earth, His Presence was continually revealed through the Bible and Holy Spirit, in partnership with very flawed, yet faithful, believers ever since.

Beginning with Pentecost, the Holy Spirit used the vastness of Rome to play a key role in widely dispersing the apostles and early believers and their message - first through persecution, and then by formal adoption of the clear gospel message (Constantine in 313), resulting in the Nicene and Athanasian creeds and formal Biblical canon (all in 300s). But as Rome fell, the message of light was again dispersed and carried through the Dark and Medieval years by monastic pockets of believers (notably St. Patrick in Ireland), faithfully tending to the written scriptures, even if not in practice. Later the printing press physically spread the Word, resulting in the Reformation. From there, the gospel message has been revealed throughout the entire globe.

"See, the Lord hath made us by His mighty pow’r,
And He watches o’er us every day and hour;
This we do remember when we kneel in prayer,
God is up in heaven, God is everywhere.
Refrain:
God is everywhere, yes, God is everywhere,
God is in the valley, God is in the air;
God is in the mountain, God is in the sea,
Anywhere we may go, there God will be.
Nothing can we hide from His all-seeing eye,
Whether on the land, or in the sea or sky;
Darkness cannot hide us from His blessed face,
For His holy presence dwells in every place.

All our words and thoughts are to Him fully known,
We shall surely reap the deeds that we have sown;
From Thy holy presence we can never flee,
For the day and night are both the same with Thee.

Look down in our hearts, Lord, let us see today
If there should be in us any wicked way;
Help us ever serve Thee with a Godly fear,
Help us know that Thou art present everywhere."