We’re halfway through the eight life-changing truths about God, but let’s review the first four…
- God is CREATOR.
- God is ETERNAL.
- God is SELF-SUFFICIENT and INDEPENDENT.
- God is PRESENT.
On to truth number five…
LIFE-CHANGING TRUTH #5
GOD IS ALL-KNOWING. GOD IS OMNISCIENT.
The older I get the more aware I become of just how limited I am when it comes to what I know. Someone once wrote that, “Education is the progressive realization of your own ignorance.” I can relate to that.
I love music, but when I watch guys like Rick Beato, I know that my knowledge when it comes to rock music is really limited.
I’m a big fan of books and theology, but when I hear guys like Jon Tyson or Bill Johnson speak, I’m immediately aware of how much I don’t know when it comes to both.
On top of that, no matter how much I read, study, watch or listen to, my knowledge will always be lacking and incomplete. I can only know what I read, observe or what is communicated to me by someone else. On top of that, my mind forgets a significant amount of the things I’ve learned.
I am not all-knowing… or the theological term, omniscient.
God, on the other hand, is ALL-KNOWING. He is OMNISCIENT. He fully knows Himself and He know all things — both actual and possible.
He knows everything about everybody all the time. [1]
He knows the future, as well as the present and the past. He knows it all in one simple and eternal act. [2]
When the Bible says that God knows everything, it doesn’t mean that God is sharp or smart. It doesn’t even mean that God is a genius or has a High IQ. When the Bible says that God knows everything, it means God knows everything…
As in… EVERYTHING.
David describes this at length in Psalm 139.
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. —Psalm 139:1-2 NLT
3 You know when I go out to work and when I come back home. You know exactly how I live. 4 Lord, even before I speak a word, you know all about it. —Psalm 139:3-4 NirV
How is all of this possible?
In Verse 6, David admits that He doesn’t understand it, but He knows it’s a reality.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! —Ps 139:6 NLT
God’s complete, comprehensive and total knowledge of Himself, of us, of people and of the universe was mind-blowing to David, but it also gave him an incredible sense of strength, confidence and courage. Check out verses 17-18.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! —Psalm 139:17-18 NLT
The fact that God knows it all means at least two things:
- First of all, it means we can relax.
God knows what we’re going through! God knows what it feels like to live in a Covid-19 world. He knows the pressure of providing for a family or running a business. He knows when we’re struggling physically. He knows when you and your spouse or family are hurting relationally. He knows when things are sideways financially — when you’ve got more month ahead than money left in your account. God knows.
- Second, it means we can be real.
We don’t have to pretend that everything’s okay. We don’t have to act as if we’re not hurting, worried or concerned. We don’t have to explain our situation or confusion to Him. God knows our insecurities, fears, worries and anxiety and sin and He loves us, regardless.
The fact that “GOD KNOWS IT ALL” means that we can TRUST HIM to do what’s best for us, especially when our knowledge, understanding or perspective is limited. He has a perspective that we don’t have. We may not fully know Him, but He fully knows us. You can trust God!
Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make.
—Proverbs 3:5 TPT
LIFE-CHANGING TRUTH #6
GOD IS ALMIGHTY. GOD IS OMNIPOTENT.
The theological word here is omnipotent, which means “all powerful.”
The older I get the more I realize that there are serious limits to my power and ability. There are limits to how fast I can run, how high I can jump, how much weight I can lift, how many chin–ups I can do or and how many rounds I can last in a boxing ring.
Take George Hood, for example…
In February 2020, George Hood, a 62-year old Marine Vet from Naperville, Illinois, set the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the longest plank. It clocked it an 8 hours, 15 minutes and 15 seconds. [3]
According to Guinness, to accomplish that feat, George completed 674,000 sit-ups, 270,000 pushups and endured more than 2100 hours of planking in preparation.
Incredibly, His record lasted less than 18 months.
On August 6, 2021, Daniel Scali from Australia set the new record clocking in at 9 hours, 30 minutes and 1 second. [4]
As phenomenal as George and Daniel’s records were, they’ll one day be broken, because there are limits to their strength and ability. But there’s no limit to God’s.
God is All-Powerful.
He’s not just a bigger, better version of George or Daniel.
He’s omnipotent and Almighty! He can do anything and everything that is consistent and in keeping with His character, His holy nature and moral perfection.
Let me be clear… That doesn’t mean God does everything. For instance, He can’t sin. He can’t change His character. He can’t make a “square circle” or a boulder so big He can’t lift it. Any of those things would be self-contradictory.
But God can do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING He wills and promises to do! There is nothing God can’t do that’s in keeping with who He is, His will and His character.
On top of that, once God determines to do something, nothing — and, I mean NOTHING — can inhibit or stop the exercise of His power. [5]
Because God is God, He has the power to create, control, altar or change anything and everything in His universe.
This is difficult for us to understand because everything in our lives and experience has limits. God doesn’t.
In Genesis 18, when Sarah laughed at the possibility of a 100-year old man and 90-year old woman having a baby, God Himself responded by asking Abe and Sarah this question.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? —Gen 18:14 NLT (See Jer 32:27)
“Is anything too hard for the Lord?“
The obvious answer to God’s rhetorical question is, “No!”
Jeremiah described it like this:
“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” —Jeremiah 32:17 NLT
In other words, “If You can do all that, there’s nothing You can’t do!’
In Luke 1:37, an angel affirmed the omnipotence of God to Mary the mother of Jesus when he spoke of Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy in her old age by saying, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” —Luke 1:37 ESV
Get this… You are a child of the one and only omnipotent, almighty, all-powerful God. You’ll never face a challenge or experience that your God can’t handle!
The same God who spoke this world into existence by the word of His power has given you His power to walk with confidence, security and strength in this world.
You are never at the mercy of your own abilities or strength, for “greater is the one who is in us than He who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. —Romans 8:11 NLT
Our God is Almighty! He has never been TIRED. He has never SLEPT. He has never AGED. He’s never been UPGRADED or RECALLED.
He’s the same God who spoke the universe into existence. The same God who sustains it by His presence and power, and, He is the same God who raised Jesus victoriously from the dead, and says to us that we are “…more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).
[1] J.I. Packer, Concise Theology, Kindle Ed., p 31.
[2] J.I. Packer, Concise Theology, Kindle Ed., p 31.
[3] https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2020/2/a-retired-marine-just-broke-an-8-hour-plank-record-and-hes-62-years-old-609812?
[4] https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/9/longest-plank-record-smashed-with-staggering-new-time-674245
[5] Paul Tripp, Do You Believe, Kindle Ed., p 166