You may have heard before that God is “omniscient.” That’s an interesting word, but what does it mean?
If God is omniscient, it means that He’s all-knowing. Being omniscient would mean that His power is so great that there’s nothing that escapes His foresight and knowledge.
So, is God omniscient? 1 John 3:20 says, “God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” (ESV) That makes it clear, yes, God knows everything. This truth is in line with our belief in God’s all-powerful nature. After all, if God is more powerful than everything else, wouldn’t He hold power over time as well? God knows everything, past, present, and future.
And if you’re wondering, if God knows everything how do we have free will? God’s omniscience does not change the truth of our free will. Look at the example of Judas. Jesus knew from the beginning that Judas would betray Him. It wasn’t because it was an inescapable destiny: Judas surely had free will to make the decision to betray Jesus or not. It was Jesus’ omniscience that made Him able to know what Judas would do. Still, He loved and served Judas anyway, despite knowing all of this. (John 13:21-28)
God’s omniscience should come as a great source of comfort in our lives. Why? Because it’s another assurance that God is in control. We live in a world that feels very out of control and we often feel out of control in our own lives. We may even feel hopeless to do anything about it, not knowing how we can change things for the better. The good news is that which we don’t know, God knows! Matthew 6:8 says, “For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
We can’t do it on our own power, and that’s the point. We were made to rely on God and His immense power. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.” Psalm 147:5 (ESV)
And His omniscience is just another piece of the puzzle of His immeasurable strength and authority in our world and in our lives. We can trust Him with it all and let Him lead the way in everything. For each of us, we should follow His lead!
You can write the Pastor at pastorbilly@findtruelife.com