Articles

The God Who Knows All

By Jon Goodding

Scientists estimate that there are 1 billion trillion stars in the observable universe. That’s a lot of stars. Can you imagine trying to count them one by one? Or name each and every one of them?

Psalm 147:4-5 says:

He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.

What we can only guess at, God knows by name. His understanding is infinite. God’s infinite understanding is not limited to astounding feats like naming and numbering the stars. He knows what can seem even more unknowable to us— the secret thoughts and actions of men.

Job 34:21 says:

For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps. There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

People like to think that the things they do in secret are hidden, but they are not. God sees every single step that every single person takes. We cannot hide from God. Even the darkest, most secret place is infinitely known and understood by God.

The sins we commit in secret are known by God. The evil intentions of our hearts are understood by our Creator. And He will judge us for our sin.

All of us have sinned. All of us deserve death. But the God who knows everything we’ve ever done is a God of grace. Praise the Lord that He has made a way for us to be set free from judgment and death!

Jesus has paid for our sins. He died in our place on the cross. And if we place our faith in Him, He will forgive every sinful thing that we have ever done.

For those of us who know Christ, God’s omniscience no longer means certain judgment for our sin. Instead, it means that God knows every struggle that we face, every trial and every temptation. It means that we never have to face the difficulties of life alone.

In Psalm 139:7, the psalmist David asks this question:

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

The answer, given in verses 8-12, demonstrates that God’s omnipresence is a great comfort to the believer:

If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,” even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

For the believer, the fact that God knows everything is glorious! There is nothing that can happen to us that can keep us from His protecting hand.

The God who knows everything and sees everything is also the God who protects His children. May we trust in Him and lean on the strength of our great God.