Sometimes,
we shy away
from words
like omnipresent
and omniscient
because they
sound so
theological.
But what they
simply mean is
that God is
present
everywhere and
that God is
all-knowing.
These
two important
attributes of
God stand out
in Psalm 139.
David began by
saying, “O
Lord, you have
examined my
heart and know
everything
about me. You
know when I
sit down or
stand up. You
know my
thoughts even
when I’m far
away. You see
me when I
travel and
when I rest at
home. You know
everything I
do” (verses
1–3 NLT).
God
knows
everything.
Psalm 147:4
says, “He
counts the
stars and
calls them all
by name.”
Think about
that. In this
massive
universe we
live in, God
knows the name
of every
single star.
In addition to
that, He knows
what is
happening on
this little
planet called
Earth.
He
knows what is
going on not
only with the
people that He
created in His
image but also
with the
animal
kingdom. Jesus
said, “What is
the price of
two
sparrows—one
copper coin?
But not a
single sparrow
can fall to
the ground
without your
Father knowing
it” (Matthew
10:29 NLT).
God
knows about
every little
sparrow. Yet
beyond this
knowledge of
what happens
in His
creation and
in the animal
kingdom, God
is vitally
aware of
what’s
happening in
every life. He
is interested
in us as
individuals.
Proverbs
15:3 says,
“The Lord is
watching
everywhere,
keeping his
eye on both
the evil and
the good”
(NLT). When
you stop and
think about
it, how could
He reward and
punish
otherwise? He
is aware of
everything
that is
happening.
There is not
one single
thing that
happens that
escapes the
knowledge of
God.
Proverbs
also tells us,
“For the Lord
sees clearly
what a man
does,
examining
every path he
takes” (5:21
NLT). And the
apostle Paul
wrote, “Oh,
how great are
God’s riches
and wisdom and
knowledge! How
impossible it
is for us to
understand his
decisions and
his ways! For
who can know
the Lord’s
thoughts? Who
knows enough
to give him
advice?”
(Romans
11:33–34 NLT).
I
don’t know how
this concept
of God’s
omniscience
strikes you.
Realizing that
God knows
everything
about
everyone,
including you,
can be either
frightening or
encouraging,
depending on
your
relationship
with God (or
lack thereof).
If your life
is right with
God and you
are walking
with Him, then
knowing that
God is aware
of what’s
going on in
your existence
is a
comforting
thought.
We
don’t want to
be forgotten;
we want to be
loved. We want
to be
appreciated
and
remembered. We
don’t want to
be another
face in a
massive human
sea. It’s
comforting to
know that God
cares about
us, that He
knows about
us.
Maybe
someone made
fun of you,
left you out,
or
misunderstood
you. Maybe
someone lied
about you or
hurt someone
you loved. God
is aware of
that. He keeps
your tears in
a bottle (see
Psalm 56:8).
He cares about
you.
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