How well do people know you, really? If you’re like most people, you let other people see more or less what you want them to see. You have filters. Generally speaking, that’s a good thing. There are a lot of things that other people, especially strangers, don’t need to see or know about you. However, whether you like it or not, God sees everything!
I grew up as the youngest of ten kids. Not only that, but my next oldest sibling was seven years older than me. So, by the time I was in grade school and middle school, a lot of my brothers and sisters had moved away to go to college, get jobs, and get married. However, they left a lot of their stuff behind with mom and dad. This created a great temptation for me to go through their boxes of stuff in the basement and procure some of their clothing and possessions for my own personal use, even though my mom told me not to. Her one last line of defense was to put note cards just inside each box with Bible verses that said things like, “Be sure your sin will find you out,” leaving the Holy Spirit to do her dirty work of foiling my crafty schemes to steal from my siblings!
God Knows Everything About Everything
Of course, the theology behind my mom’s methods were sound to the extent that while I might be able to do things out of her sight, everything I did was clearly visible by God! In Proverbs 15:3, we read, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” God sees and knows everything that is presently happening in the universe that He has made. Not only that, but He knows everything that is going to happen in the future, too. Consider Isaiah 46:9-10, “Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” We see evidence of this truth through the many fulfilled prophecies in the Bible, especially as it relates to Jesus. How great is God’s knowledge!
God Knows Everything About Me
However, as with many truths found in Scripture, we realize the full significance of the doctrine only after we apply it to ourselves personally. Not only does God see everything, but He also sees ME. In Proverbs 5:21, we read, “For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths.” God sees, and therefore knows, everything that I do. More than that, while humanity’s perspective is limited to a person’s outward deeds and words, God’s knowledge extends to the inside of each person, too. When selecting the next king of Israel, God told Samuel, “For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). In fact, one of my favorite titles for God in the New Testament is “Knower of Hearts” (cf. Acts 1:24; 15:8). So, as we go through our lives, we might be fooling other people, and we might even be fooling ourselves, but we can never fool God. How great is God’s knowledge!
Live In The Light Of God’s Infinite Knowledge
This truth about God’s knowledge, not only about everything generally but also about me personally, has a profound impact on how we live our lives. First, we might as well be honest with God about our sin. It’s not like we can hide it from Him anyway! In 1 John 1:8-9, we are taught, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Instead of futilely carrying around the burden of unconfessed sin that we can’t hide from God, let us make honest confession with God about our sins. For, God has made just provision for our forgiveness and cleansing through the finished work of Jesus Christ at the Cross. Consider these words from William Cowper (LISTEN HERE ... seriously, it's a really good recording!).
There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains.
Second, on account of God’s infinite knowledge, we can be confident that He hears our prayers. One of the first titles referring to God’s all-seeing, all-knowing nature is found in Genesis 16:13, where Hagar said, “You are a God of seeing. … Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” In that context, Sarai, Abram’s wife, had dealt harshly with Hagar after she’d given birth to a son with Abram to produce an heir at Sarai’s request. So, Hagar fled until she could flee no longer, far away from the eyes of anyone who might care for her. Yet, even there, God saw her and provided for her need. That is still true today. God sees you in your need and He cares, even when no one else knows what is going on. He hears the prayers of your heart, even if you can’t put them into words. One preacher described it this way, “Perhaps you cannot say a word when you pray. Never mind. He can tell what you mean even by seeing you. … He does not need us to light the candle of our desires with language; He can see the candle before it is lit.”
Third, on account of God’s infinite knowledge, we do not need to battle for our reputation when we are being falsely slandered. When Paul’s integrity was being questioned, he wrote, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God” (1 Corinthians 4:3-5). If people are falsely attacking your motives, you can entrust yourself and your situation to God who judges justly and, by His grace, continue to walk with Him. Your life will be a far greater refutation of their charges than any protest you could make.
So, praise the Lord who knows everything about everything! Praise the Lord who knows everything about you and me! Then, live in the light of God’s infinite knowledge, fully confident in His faithfulness to forgive us of our sin, hear us when we pray, and sustain us when we are slandered. How great is God’s knowledge!