God is…Omniscient
That God is omniscient means He knows everything. God knows every single detail about every single thing, visible and invisible.
From galaxies to subatomic particles, from every natural process occurring throughout the universe right now to all the motives, desires, and thoughts swirling around in my heart…God knows them all.
And He knows everything exhaustively. Think about how well you know your spouse, child, or parents. Think about how well you know your favorite book or movie. Think about how well you know the topic you know best. God knows that person, that book or movie, and that topic with infinite clarity and depth.
In one sense, we are barely scratching the surface of knowing anything.
In Psa 139, King David says that God knows him so deeply that even before a word is formed on his tongue, He knows it all (v. 4). David then says that such knowledge about God is both too wonderful and too lofty for him to grasp (v. 6). And God knows everything not because history is unfolding before Him. He knows everything because He made everything and ordained everything before there was anything (Isa 46:10; cf. Psa 139:16). No wonder that contemplating the omniscience of God overwhelms David (Psa 139:17).
And that’s how it should be. If God knew nearly everything, He would not be worthy of our worship. Furthermore, we could not fully trust Him because His knowledge would not be comprehensive; there would always be a gap in what He knows. How does that comfort us when it comes to an uncertain (from our point of view) future? But because He is omniscient, we don’t have to be afraid. He’s perfectly aware of all things at all times all at once. He’s got it under control.
But if you think about it, God’s omniscience can also be a scary thought. He knows the thoughts and intentions of my heart. All things in me are “open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb 4:13). He knows not only my past sins, not only my present sins, but also my future sins. He knows the sins that no one else knows. He knows the sins that I commit in the darkest corners of my heart.
His eyes pierce through all my fronts, all my disguises, and all my so-called godliness. Yet, knowing me perfectly, God still demonstrated His perfect patience by mercifully saving me (1 Tim 1:17). He knew how wicked I was; He knew I would fail Him for the rest of my life. Yet He loved me by putting His Son on the cross to pay for my sins.
Though He knows how bad we are, He loved us and will forever love us. This means we can be vulnerable before Him. In Christ, we are fully known and yet fully loved and forgiven. Such omniscience brings peace to our souls.