The Immanent or Immediate God

I've been thinking a lot lately about the term, 'immanent.'  It is one of our hallmark beliefs and hope as Christians.  We affirm a sovereign being who created everything, and is above and outside of everything.  We are not pantheists (meaning that God IS in everything); nor, are we deists (a God who is absent from His creation), either.  We equally affirm a Creator and Sovereign who is present and involved in our world and His creation.  But, what exactly should be we expect in terms of His immanence (presence)?

For the past century, the Evangelical camp has taken a uniform position, if not a hyper-position.  In short, Christians have come to believe that the immanent God is right here in the room and is involved in every detail of his/her personal life, thought, and emotion.  So far, so good; but, we've applied this belief to mean that God is ready to make an immediate difference in every aspect, thought, and emotion, directly.  If we pray for it, and because God is immanently present, then He should, therefore, be willing and able to change everything in an instant.  Or so, at least, our present thinking goes.  There is Biblical ground for this belief (miracles), but does the text and our experience actually affirm this position and expectancy?  Maybe, maybe not.

Maybe we've gone too far in understanding and interpreting God's immanence and, perhaps, we've confused it with the idea of God as 'immediate?'

Biblically-Speaking
Often, the best passage for God's immanence is Psalm 139, particularly verses 7-12.  As a whole the Psalmist affirms that no matter where he goes, God and His Spirit are already there...with him, preemptively, and with complete foreknowledge.  But, that is the point: God is with Him via His concern, care and interest, not that He will change the psalmist's conditions or immediately respond to them with an intervention.  God is immanent (with him), and that is the miracle and hope.

But, what about the miracles passages and stories within the Old and New Testament?  Don't they suggest an immanent God who responds immediately?  Does not the Bible command us to pray with a sense of expectancy (Matthew 7:7-8)?  Absolutely it does, but it is also telling us a lot more than this.

In a follow-up Post, I will suggest that what God has promised to do in His immanence, He may do in the immediate, but, He will certainly do in His appointed context.  (Just a 'head's up,' I PROMISE this explanation will not be Christian voodoo or 'mystery.'  In fact, the answer will be so obvious that it is precisely why we so often miss it.)