"For God is greater than our hearts and knows all things." (1 John 3:20 NASB 1995)
This morning, the author of New Morning Mercies shared a long list of things he didn’t know. And then, he assured his readers: God knows everything.
His words hit me hard. I don’t know that I’ve spent enough time reveling in the reality of God’s omniscience. Nothing escapes His understanding. No concept or equation or seemingly insignificant detail is beyond His mental reach. This is incredible! I am a wonderer by nature; I am endlessly investigating the things I don’t know. If you checked my search history, you’d find links to etymology, recipes, commentaries, historical details, and plant identifications. That’s just in the last day or two! The older I get, the more readily I’ll admit: I don’t know very much. But I’d sure like to learn!
Conversely; our Creator knows everything. He never has to do a google search. He doesn’t have fact-checkers or researchers on staff. There are no gaps in His knowledge and His understanding is perfect. He does not lay awake at night and wonder what the future holds; it’s already in His hand, meticulously assembled and flawlessly unfolding.
This is amazing to me, personally and immediately. Rob and I have been recently thrust in another season of unknowing; the list of things we are unsure about is far longer than the list of things we know for certain. It’s intimidating, at our age, stepping off into a foggy future yet again. But today’s text reminds me that God knows, and that He is already inhabiting tomorrow with a perfect plan unfurling. There’s no unease on His part, no anxious questions or nagging doubts. He’s not rattled or worried about what comes next. The path is perfectly clear to Him, we must only stay in step.
"You have searched me, Lord, and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word is on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all." (Psalm 139:1-4 NASB 1995)
God not only knows times and dates and locations, He knows us. Take a few moments to read the entirety of Psalm 139 with this fresh insight in mind: God knows us intimately and still loves us completely. Interestingly, ‘know’ is the way scripture describes the physical relationship between man and wife. Biblical ‘knowing’ is not rough or violent, but committed and honoring. When we think about God knowing His people, we realize how He loves us warts and all. No part of us is hidden from Him, and still, He delights in us entirely.
Because He cares for us so completely, our lives are not a series of half-hazard events, but a carefully orchestrated calendar with critical commitments. God knows His people and the myriad of moving parts. He’s pulling it all together for His glory. We find sure footing when we learn to walk closely with our Creator Sustainer.
"The Everlasting God, the Lord the Creator of the ends of the earth does not weary or tire, His understanding is inexhaustible." (Isaiah 48:28 NASB 1995)
Lord, please help us today. May we rest in Your understanding. May Your knowing be a safe space for our unknowing heart to crawl into. We don’t need to know, we simply need to know You. Help us trust in Your perfect care now and always. Amen.