When we say that God is Omniscient, we mean that He is all knowing; but, we cannot comprehend – much less describe God’s omniscience. Our mind has no line with which to measure His infinite knowledge, but I do think Psalm 139 paints a pretty good picture of it.

Verse 1 begins that Psalm saying, “Lord, You have searched me and know me.” One reason we have trouble understanding the process of how God searches and knows us is because we are not Him. His ways are higher than our ways – and He doesn’t tell us everything. Even so, He knows us completely. There will never be a moment when He is unaware of our words, thoughts, or actions.

He knows whether we sink in self-pity or rise up in pride. God knows when we lie in bed at night crying or when we come apart in the middle of the day with the kids. And just when we feel like nobody understands us or what we’re going through…God does. He knows our name and the number of hairs on our head!

He knows exactly what’s going on, but we don’t. For example, if a friend called and said they were coming over at 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon, it would be no surprise when they showed up at 2:00pm on Tuesday. But many things in life are not planned or expected. Yet God already knows how our day will go and what will come next week and next year. He is never caught off guard or surprised. The same can’t be said of us. Things catch us off guard and take us by surprise all the time! We don’t have the same foreknowledge God has.

He is familiar with all our ways. He knows about our temper and our emotions, and how we act with our family. He knows our imaginations, wishes, and desires.

We don’t even have to say a single word and He already knows. He knows from what thought our words come and the intention they are uttered. Isn’t it amazing that before a thought is ever our own, it is foreknown and comprehended by God! The fact that He understands the thoughts that have yet to enter our minds, means He will never misjudge or wrongly interpret us.

Psalm 139:6 says, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” And Isaiah 40:14 puts that into perspective by asking, “With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding?” He has greater wisdom than we know. He knows how much dust there is in the earth, and how heavy the mountains and the hills are. But more than that, God has the wisdom to use that knowledge. He is so wise, that no one has directed Him or taught Him. God has no need for counsel, no instruction, no teacher, and no one to show Him the way of understanding. God doesn’t need to be told what is done, because He knows it perfectly.

We may think we know a lot because science is always breaking new ground and discovering new things, but we are still limited in our knowledge. We do not understand every concept. Researchers may be able to develop vaccines for deadly diseases, but we are not privy to all the information concerning humanity and life on earth.

God even knew us before we were born! Can you say the same thing about someone? He made us, that’s why He knows us – completely! Psalm 139:16 says, “in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me when as yet there was not one of them.” God ordered and determined each moment and day of our life before we were ever born. Sometimes things happen in our life that we did not plan or expect, and we panic, don’t we? But God does not panic. He knows the timing and all the details. He does not sit in heaven wringing His hands and saying, “This ruins My plan!” No. He is still on His throne. He is still in control. He is still God. No one else may know what is going on or what is going to happen, but God does.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 tells us God has made the day of prosperity as well as the day of adversity, why? “So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.” Meaning, we can never have any certainty concerning our future, whether it’s many years down the road or 2 minutes from right now because we are not all-knowing like God. That’s why we must depend on Him.

If you knew the details and circumstances in your life that God knows, surely you would react in certain ways, or force certain things to happen in your favor.

For example, if you knew your husband was going to make choices or act in a certain way that was detrimental to your marriage, you might have never married him. If you knew your child would be stricken with an incurable disease, you may have never chosen to have children. Or if you knew a close friend would betray you, you might have never trusted them.

It’s not just that God has knowledge. He has perfect knowledge! He knows everything that could potentially happen.

He knows the circumstances we will face, and He knows our reactions to those circumstances. He has prepared the way for us and is even now preparing us for the Way. This should give us great comfort! We don’t know what the future holds, but He does!

That’s why we should pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts” (Psalm 139:23). The Psalmist is acknowledging he doesn’t know himself as God does. Sometimes we don’t understand what we’re feeling or why we’re feeling a certain way; we can’t figure ourselves out. But God has us all figured out. He knows us intimately – better than anyone else, even better than we know ourselves.

And because He is all knowing, we can trust that He will lead us in the way of truth and life – the everlasting way.

Click here to listen to the podcast episode: To Know or Be Known