Along with being all-powerful, God is all-knowing. This devotion looks at what omniscience is and what that means for us.
Nuggets
- It didn’t just take God’s power to create the universe; it also took His understanding and wisdom.
- God knows everything about us.
- God has all this wisdom — and He shares it with us.
Devotions in the Churchy Word series
What Does Omniscient Mean?
What Does Omnipresent Mean?
My working title for this series was the Three Omnis. This one, for some reason, gives me the most problems. I have trouble remembering it. I have trouble pronouncing it.
I don’t know why. Let’s see if we can straighten me out.
Let's Put It into Context
According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, omniscience is defined as “the state of being all-knowing which theology ascribes to God.” The all-powerful God is also all-knowing.
I like Got Questions’ definition also. It is, “the state of having total knowledge, the quality of knowing everything.” If God’s knowledge is the quality of knowing, we need to compare what we know against His standard.
Wisdom and Understanding
“The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding” (Proverbs 3:19 CSB)
It didn’t just take God’s power to create the universe. It also took His understanding and wisdom.
God not only had the knowledge of what to create, but He also knew how to put it all together. “But the Lord made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens” (Jeremiah 10:12 NLT). He uses His knowledge and wisdom daily to preserve it.
Oh, yes. We can create stuff. We can take the bull-in-the-china-shop approach and force a round peg into a square hole.
It wouldn’t be pretty.
This world is very pretty.
God not only has the comprehension of understanding, but He also has the compassion. He has the wisdom to know how we need to grow to imitate Him. To get us there, He has the compassion to know what the best route for us is. “Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are his” (Job 12:13 CSB).
The best past for us is “… his understanding is infinite” Psalm 147:5 CSB). He knows everything there is to know — past, present, and future.
- “Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb” (Genesis 30:22 CSB)
- In order to remember Rachel, God had to know her in the first place. He knows all of us because we are His creation, made in His image.
- “Does he not see my ways and number all my steps?” (Job 31:4 CSB)
- God sees us 24/7/365. There are no lights out as far as He is concerned. Remember, in the last devotion, we said that He didn’t sleep.
- “On that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the residents of Jerusalem, to wash away sin and impurity” (Zechariah 13:1 CSB)
- God knows what is going to happen in the future. No, He hasn’t decreed, “Elaine will make this choice on this day.” I still have my free will. But He knows the choice I am going to make. He has worked “… all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8: 28 CSB).
All that means is God is in control. “He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings …” (Daniel 2:21 NLT)
God Knows Us
“God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart” (Psalm 44:21 NLT)
It amazes me how we think we can hide things from God. He isn’t going to see us doing something. He isn’t going to know what we think.
Baloney.
God knows everything about us. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. “Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Mt. 6: 4 NLT).
I almost took out part of that verse and just left the He-sees-everything part. I didn’t want us to focus only on the good stuff.
“You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence” (Ps. 90: 8 CSB). Yep, God sees the sins, too.
God knows the secrets of our hearts. What do we keep secret?
- What we really feel about someone — love or hate.
- What we really feel about ourselves.
- What we’ve done.
- What we haven’t done.
- What we really want to do.
- Who we really want to be.
God knows. He knows the stuff we don’t even tell our significant others. Truth be known, He knows what we don’t even admit to ourselves.
How does God know?
- “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me” (Ps. 139: 1 NLT).
- “The LORD knows the thoughts of mankind; they are futile” (Ps. 94:11 CSB).
God made it His business to know. After all, He created us.
One of the things that the Holman Bible Dictionary’s definition of omniscience said was that “… God’s knowing is a matter of personal experience.”
God doesn’t just sit up in His throne room in heaven and forget about us. He watches over us and protects us (Isa. 43: 2).
The goal God had in the plan of salvation was to restore our relationships with Him. He wanted back what He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden.
God Shares His Wisdom
“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him” (Jas. 1: 5 CSB)
Go back to Daniel and let’s add a little more to it. “He said, ‘Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light’” (Dan. 2: 20-22 NLT).
Yes, God has all this wisdom — and He shares it with us. “that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding” (Eph. 1: 8 CSB).
We are made in God’s image. Part of that is He made us smart.
We are not, however, as smart as God. We will never be able to figure everything out. Some things that we think we have right will end up being wrong.
“Who would not fear you, O King of nations? That title belongs to you alone! Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you” (Jer. 10: 7 NLT).
Making the Connections
That is part of the worldview people’s problem. They think they can figure things out. They think they know how the universe was created. They think they know how or when it will end.
They don’t.
The flip side is the worldview people think aspects of God’s Word are foolish. Here is the kicker, though. “This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength” (I Cor. 1: 25 NLT).
God never intended — after the original sin — for His wisdom to be available to all those made in His image. “This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens” (Eph. 3: 10 CSB).
How Do We Apply This?
What are we to make known? “This grace was given to me — the least of all the saints — to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things” (Eph. 3: 8-9 CSB).
What are some duties in our job description?
Job Duty #4 Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #5 Love People (John 15: 12)
Job Duty #6 Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
The Disciple’s Job Description
Complete Job Description
Individual Descriptions
Job Duty #4
Proclaim the Gospel (Mark 16: 15)
Job Duty #5
Love People (John 15: 12)
Job Duty #6
Make Disciples (Matthew 28: 19-20)
I love what Parker had to say. He wrote, “Human life is intended to be the realization of a heavenly plan. Inquire what it is, accept it with all thankfulness or submission, as the case may be, and live in God.”
We have a job to do — work to expand God’s kingdom. How do we do it?
- Pray to find out what our plans are
- Don’t kick and scream when God tells us what He has in store for us
- Praise God in everything
- Live out our plans
I know. I write on this a lot. Part of me says it is okay because new people are finding this website daily. They may not have heard this before.
Others may be kicking and screaming. Oh, I’ve kicked and screamed before. I have questioned even when the decibel level was normal.
I figure God gives me what to write for a purpose. I am going to pray, not kick, praise, and live.
God knows best.
Father. You are an awesome God. Your knowledge is limitless. It is eternal. Thank You that You know everything that has happened, is happening, and will happen to us. We are humbled that You share Your wisdom with us. Help us use it to tell others about Your love, grace, and mercy. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.
Pingback: What Does Omnipresent Mean? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: How Do We Worship Through Praise? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Watch the Company We Keep – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: What Is the War in Heaven? – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: God’s Law Creates Peace – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: The Manner in which Disciples of Christ Are Merciful – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Why Lying Is a Moralities Issue for Disciples of Christ – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: The Morality of Being Just – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Attributes of God: Omniscient and All-Knowing – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: The Morality of Peace – Seeking God with Elaine
Pingback: Reasons Why We Should Not Set Affections on Earthly Things – Seeking God with Elaine