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Once Adam and Eve fellowshipped with God in the cool of the day in the Garden, but when sin entered into their hearts and lives, they ran and hid from the presence of God. God came and asked this magnificent question, “Where are you?” God did not need the man’s information, He desired his repentance.
One of the greatest truths in life which we all know, but which we all must come to learn, is that there is no escape from God. Like fugitives, we may run, but we cannot ultimately hide from the God who penetrates even the darkness with the gaze of His light. If we manage to dodge Him in this life, we must still stand exposed before Him on that fearful day of judgment. There is no place to hide from God.
Happily, once we give up our flight and allow ourselves to be found by this relentless “Hound of Heaven” (as Francis Thompson described Him in his poem), we discover that His intention is not to harm us but to save us. He formed us even in our mother’s womb for His purpose and ordained all of our days before we ever saw the light of day. With David we must exclaim, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!” (Psalm 139:17).
God is omnipresent, and God is omniscient. God is omniscient means that God is all knowing. God is omnipresent means that God is present everywhere. Often, we don’t want to deal with theology or doctrine. Some people will ignorantly say, “I don’t care about doctrine. I just love Jesus.” That’s a sweet sentiment, but it’s a dangerous one. We must care about doctrine. For if we do not we will not have any spiritual compbad to guide us through life. And if you get off just a little now, you could be a lot more off a little bit later.
You can live your life by only what you feel or by what the Bible tells you. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. We are to believe what God tells us in His word, no matter what the world looks like or runs after or what our circumstances are like. Sometimes we may become spiritually disoriented. It is then that we must fly by the instruments rather than our visual instincts. The instruments remind us that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Cor. 4:17) Take heart. Be encouraged. Nothing is impossible with God. Blessed are the ones who believe what the Lord says.
God knows everything. Psalm 147:4 says that God determines the number of the stars and He calls each one by name. Think about that. In this mbadive universe that we live in God knows the name of every single star out there. But in spite of that He knows what is going on in this little planet called Earth. He knows what is going on not only with the people that He created in His image, but He knows what is going on in the animal kingdom. Jesus said in Matthew 10:29, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny, yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.” God is aware of all these details.
He is vitally aware of what is happening in every individual life. He is interested in us as individuals. Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” Really, 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 on this Earth that escapes the knowledge of God. Proverbs 5:21 says, “A man’s ways are in full view of the Lord and He examines all of his paths.” And then in Romans 11:33 Paul says, “Oh the depths and the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been His counselor?”
Realizing that God knows everything about everyone including you can be either frightening or encouraging depending on your relationship or lack thereof with God. If your life is right with God and you are walking with Him, to know that God is aware of what is 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. We want to be remembered. We don’t want to be another face on this mbadive human sea of some 5 billion people and growing.
It’s comforting to know that God knows about us and cares about us. But if your life is not right with God, if you are doing things you should not be doing, it is rather terrifying to think that nothing escapes His attention. An all-knowing God is immensely threatening, which is why we try to banish Him from our minds. A. W. Tozer observed, “That God knows each person through and through can be a cause of shaking fear to the man that has something to hide—some unforsaken sin, some secret crime committed against man or God.”
But if you are a child of God, it encourages you. For the true Christian, God’s knowledge is not a threat; it is a refuge. Jesus says, “The very hairs of your hair are numbered.” There is no escape from God! That’s bad news for the unbeliever, but great news for the believer!
When God speaks of the future and when He tells us of the events that are going to unfold in human history, He knows what He is talking about. He knows the future because He is not limited by time. He created time. He sees into eternity. Isaiah 46:9 says, “Remember the former things, those of long ago. I am God. There is no other. I am God, there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning. From ancient times and what is still to come. I say my purpose will stand. I will do all that I please.”
God says He knows the end from the beginning. The arrangement of those words is striking because it’s the exact opposite of the way that man knows history. We are limited by time and space. We learn about things as they unfold in time. From the beginning to the end. But God says, I “know the end from the beginning. I know what is going to happen already.” Because He is eternal. He is infinite. He is perfect. He is timeless. And therefore, when He tells us when certain things are going to happen, we can be certain of it.
Not only does God know about the universe. Not only does He know about every little bird that falls to the ground, not only does He know every thought that you think, but He searches us and He knows the intimate details of our lives. The word that David uses here for search in verse 1, “You have searched me” literally means to pierce through. We sometimes speak of seeing through a person. In God’s case this is literally true. On more than one occasion this was a source of particular irritation for people around Jesus. Jesus could read their minds.
God knows all things, and he knows them completely. We know some things, but our knowledge is only partial and incomplete. Arthur W. Pink wrote, “God knows everything; everything possible, everything actual; all events, all creatures, of the past, the present, and the future. He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell. Nothing escapes his notice, nothing can be hidden from him, nothing is forgotten by him. He never errs, never changes, never overlooks anything.”
The Psalmist sang, “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:1-4)
If you are not yet a Christian, let me remind you that you will have to stand before God one day. How do you suppose you will be able to escape his just judgment on you for your sins? The Bible says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Heb. 4:13). What will you do on the day when all your sins will be read out? Do not wait for that day. Jesus died so that sinners like you and me might be saved from the inevitable judgment. He is pursuing you so you might be saved. He loves you not because of who you are but despite who you are. There is mercy and grace for you and me now. The only “not guilty” plea at the bar of heaven that will be effective is “not guilty by reason of Jesus.”
Christianity is not following a set of rules or going through a bunch of rituals. It is at its heart a personal relationship with the living God who knows you thoroughly. You enter that relationship when you put your trust in the substitute He provided, the Lord Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for your sin with His death on the cross.
One day Charles H. Spurgeon was walking through the English countryside with a friend. As they strolled along, the evangelist noticed a barn with a weather vane on its roof. At the top of the vane were these words: “GOD IS LOVE.” Spurgeon remarked to his companion that he thought this was a rather inappropriate place for such a message. “Weather vanes are changeable,” he said, “but God’s love is constant.” “I don’t agree with you about those words, Charles,” replied his friend. “You misunderstood the meaning. That sign is indicating a truth: Regardless of which way the wind blows, God is love.” “Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.” (Ephesians 6:24) Amen.
The Rev. David Bodanza is the pastor of Mission Street Congregational Church, 15 Mission Street, Gardner. Visit the website at www.missionstreetchurch.org or call 978-632-4415 or email [email protected]. The church is handicap-accessible and cordially invites you to join us. Shuttle bus service, with a wheelchair lift, is now available for certain Gardner routes. Please call 978-410-9790 for a free ride. Sunday service is at 11:00 A.M. Watch for news of the church beginning to worship at the former St. Joe’s building late this fall! Renovations are underway.
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