Our Comfort in God's Omniscience

"The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."

-Proverbs 15:3 ESV

Sometimes just thinking of how much God is beyond us almost shuts our brains down. We truly cannot fathom it. Undoubtedly, that is true when we consider God's knowledge.

In Proverbs we are told, "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3, ESV throughout). He sees all things. He understands all things. He knows all things. We often refer to this concept as God's omniscience.

The doctrine of God's omniscience is both comforting and haunting.

The doctrine of God's omniscience is both comforting and haunting.

If God knows everything (and I believe that he does!), then that gives us incredible comfort. He knows everything that happened yesterday in the universe. He knows everything that happened today in the universe. He knows everything that will take place tomorrow. He knows his plan. He knows precisely how he will orchestrate everything to work together for our good and his glory.

That means, God knows:

• our pain

• our suffering

• our work problems

• our relationship issues

• our financial challenges

• our health battles

• our difficulty balancing the various aspects to life

• and so on!

Moreover, God never has the need to read a book. There is never a moment where God must learn something. He already knows everything. Since God is good, the fact that he has exhaustive knowledge brings Christians immeasurable comfort.

And yet this doctrine is also haunting. Why? Because you can't slip anything past God. He knows every thought. He knows every emotion. He knows every motive. He knows every word. He knows every action. He knows every decision. He knows about every failure that we've had.

Consider the message in Psalm 139:

"O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it" (Psalm 139:1b-6).

Therefore, based on Psalm 139 we can conclude:

• He observes every action.

• He knows every thought.

• He knows all of our ways.

• He knows all of our words (before they are even formed on our tongues).

  
  

If you're like me, this can stir up shame, because of sinful motives, words, actions, and thoughts.

It can stir up anxiety: "How can God accept me? How can he approve of me? How can he love me?"

It can also lead to sadness, confusion, and even anger. Why do I do the things that I do? (I'm told that Romans 7 is good on this topic.)

But let's consider it from another angle. If God really is omniscient and he has shown us grace, then he is far more gracious than we can even fathom. That means he sees everything (even the sins that you don't see in yourself!), but he still has lavished his abundant grace upon you.

He still loves you.

He still accepts you in Christ.

He still approves of you in Christ.

In his excellent book, God & Soul Care, Eric Johnson writes:

"God is omniscient and knows everything that goes on inside each of his children--all one's negative thoughts, feelings, body states, and motives--and yet he is not put off or discouraged by any of that. The Spirit's indwelling presence signifies that God's infinite, omniscient enthusiasm for his beloved children is unrelenting--in spite of their felt shame, guilt, anxiety, and pain--and nothing can separate them from his love (Rom. 8:39)."[1]

That is clearly unrelenting love and unrelenting grace.

Since God knows everything, he knows that that our own hearts will condemn us sometimes. Our hearts will scream at us. They will express their disapproval. God knows that we need reassurance. Maybe that is why the Spirit inspired John to write this,

"By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything" (1 John 3:19-20). 

Yes, God knows everything, and he is greater than our condemning hearts.

God's omniscience does not have to be haunting.

Receive his unrelenting grace today, friend.

End Notes:

[1] Eric L. Johnson, God & Soul Care: The Therapeutic Resources of the Christian Faith (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2017), 118; author's emphasis.