The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith
Week 10: Chapter 9 — God Is Present
Read Chapter 9 of The Good and Beautiful God. Key Scripture: Matthew 28:20; Psalm 139:7-12; Acts 17:28.
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The most common complaint among sincere Christians is not doubt about God's existence but the feeling that God is absent — this chapter pushes back on that feeling with a robust theology of divine presence.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Smith argues that one of the most damaging false narratives is the belief that God is present only in certain times or places — in church, during quiet times, in moments of intense spiritual experience — and absent from ordinary life. Does this resonate with your own experience? What triggers the feeling of God's absence most strongly for you?
2.Psalm 139 asks, 'Where can I flee from your presence?' The psalmist searches the heights, the depths, the farthest seas — and finds God already there. How does the psalmist's language make the presence of God feel different from surveillance or control? What is the emotional register of this omnipresence?
3.Paul tells the Athenians in Acts 17:28 that 'in him we live and move and have our being.' Smith uses this to argue that we are never outside of God's presence — we are soaking in it. What would it mean to actually live from that awareness? What would change in your Monday morning if you believed it?
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