Thank you for listening to the Cultivating Growth Podcast. We are excited about the next several episodes. We plan on kind of discussing over the next four weeks a little bit about who God is, and we're gonna primarily spend our time talking about. You know, what is commonly referenced or referred to as the omni words when it comes to God?

The fact that he is omniscient, he is omnipotent, and he is omnipresent, all knowing, all powerful and all encompassing. His presence is everywhere. And so we'll do that over the next three weeks. And then that fourth week we'll continue our discussion about who God is and we'll have a guest that will join us.

I'm really looking forward to our conversations over the next several weeks. We're gonna start it off with the idea of God and that God is all knowing. Let's get started. 

Jeremy, you mentioned in the intro about kind of where we're going this month with these three different topics that we're going to discuss and today we're gonna talk about God and his all knowing power. And I think that is something that is not necessarily difficult for us to intellectually understand.

We can easily see as we read through the Bible and we think about God. That he is an all-knowing being. But I, but I think to really wrap our minds around that is a real challenge for us. Probably next to impossible for us, for being honest, because we have a limited capability in terms of our knowledge and our understanding.

I.  To think of God as unlimited in that regard is something that can be a little bit challenging for us, and even a little bit intimidating too, as we'll see in scripture, God has spoken of often by the authors of the Bible as one who knows, not just all of the comings and goings of the world. But our internal thoughts and the motives of our heart and those types of thoughts can be very intimidating to think that whatever goes on in my mind, whatever goes on in my heart.

God knows that, and I am open and bare before him, and that can be an intimidating thought. But I think as we talk through this, I think one of the things we'll find is that while it can be intimidating, there's also actually a lot of comfort to be found in that, and there's no question about it. You know, I'm really looking forward to our conversations over the next several weeks.

You know, it, it is, you make a really good point. You know, when it comes to God, it, it is something that we can say and that we can, you know, certainly believe, but it is something that is difficult to comprehend because, you know, when it comes to, as we're talking about today God having. Unlimited knowledge that he is all knowing.

That's difficult for us to comprehend because we ourselves have limited knowledge. Everybody that we've ever met and come in contact with, they all have limited knowledge, and so we don't have anything to parallel or to lay that up against. And the same will be said about his power. The same will be said about his presence.

We have limited power. We are limited in our presence. And, and so to try to comprehend, you know, passages that talk about his knowledge, as you know, being. All encompassing. It, it, it will come down to faith. Yeah. Really in a lot of ways. And so you have passages, you know, the psalmist I think is interesting.

Psalm 1 47 in verse five, in a very simple kind of way, God great is our Lord and mighty in power. His understanding is infinite. Mm-hmm.  Now,  to grab hold of that and, and one other thing I'll, you know, I'll say is you, you. You read the story of Jesus and the gospels and you really see this in play, you know, a little bit,  or Jesus, even on Earth was God.

And it will make it, it's made mention by the gospel writers on multiple occasions where, where Jesus is not just listening to the words that people say, he, he's able, as you made reference, to see inside their minds mm-hmm. To see inside their hearts and, and so that understanding, I think you're right. 

Can be intimidating. Mm-hmm. Or scary even. Mm-hmm. But should be comforting. One of the things that I thought was really interesting as I was kind of preparing for this was looking throughout the Bible to find different places where this is acknowledged or talked about. And one of the most fascinating things that I, I realized.

Is that in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, the authors clearly understood this about God. Yeah, there, there was no confusion about this. There was no second guessing this. Everyone understood this about God. There's references to it in Genesis and Deuteronomy. There's references to it in Psalms, in Jeremiah.

In Hebrews and Romans and the gospels every, everywhere you turn Old Testament and New Testament alike, the authors recognize this capability that God has this characteristic that in many ways seems to define him. And I think it's really fascinating to see how different authors kind of come to terms with that and talk about that. 

For instance, Paul, in Romans chapter 11 in verse number 33, he'll say, oh, the depth and the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments in his ways past finding out? It's almost as if each of these authors that we see throughout the New Testament and in the Old Testament have to grapple with how to describe this about God.

And I think we, we find ourselves in the same situation. How do we describe. This infinite knowledge that God has, it can be a challenge for us to, to put words to that.  But I think looking at some of these passages that we've talked about already, and some we'll talk about more as we go, are helpful because it gives us words to use to try to describe God in this way, that he clearly wants us to know about him, and he clearly wants it to be personal because as you referenced, it isn't just the generic language, for instance, that Paul uses here to describe God's wisdom and his knowledge.

But then there are very personal moments too, where Jesus knows what someone was thinking. Or that it is spoken of as our hearts are laid open before God. You know, those types of very personal moments are there as well. And so both kind of the generic and the personal descriptions of God's knowledge in this way can be really useful to us.

Yeah, I mean, it, it, it is.  Understanding or comprehending, you know, this concept, it, it may not be fully possible, but really believing in this and having faith that this is who God is and what he's all about, can really have a profound impact on your relationship with him. Certainly personally in, in that understanding of, listen, God knows all that there is, you know, to be known about me so.

What good is there to hide anything from him? Right? And so there is an honesty and a humility that ultimately will come from that. But it's also in, in the reality of I, I can fully trust on God because he knows not just the past or not just the present, but he also knows the future. Yeah. And, and if I can.

And, and he said, listen, he, he's, he's only got good things in store for me. Mm-hmm. And, and so if I can trust in the fact that God is able to see the future and not, not me, I can lean on him even more. And so really grasping the reality of this truth about God can have a profound impact on us, whether or not we're. 

Fully able, you know, to grab hold of it or not. And Psalm 1 39 is a, a great, you know, example of, you know, you made mention of the personal impact of this. And I, it, it's an incredible example really, the entirety of that psalm in Psalm 1 39. You have, you know. David making mention of all of God's knowledge base and, and really verses one through six really point to that.

But he says at the end of verse six, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain it. Mm-hmm. And so he makes the point that this is just the reality and it isn't a scary thing. He's not writing Psalm 1 39 a as if he's. Terrified of the fact that God has this intimate knowledge of who he is, but it brings about incredible comfort.

Mm-hmm. And, and even what's interesting in that text is the knowledge base that God has on us. From the womb even. Yeah. Yeah. And it, it's it's, it's, it's tough stuff to grab hold of, you know, you would think we talked about this beforehand. We, we actually didn't, but I just had my bible open to Psalm 1 39 as well.

And I, I, I, I think what you said is exactly right at the beginning of that psalm, it reminds us that because God knows us so intimately, there's no point in hiding any of our feelings, any of our emotions. And then at the very end of that psalm, he even speaks to the worries and anxieties that he has.

Search me, oh God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties.  And see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. I think sometimes, you know, we, we try to hide some of these things certainly from each other. Right, right. And, you know, we can be successful in doing that sometimes, because I can hide things from other people.

Can't hide anything from God, so I ought to stop trying. Mm-hmm. Let's just be open and honest with him. That's what we see in a lot of the Psalms. There is some very vulnerable language that's used. Even questions that are asked harsh language that's spoken against enemies. All of these things that can be a little bit uncomfortable even at times, but the authors are taking those things to God and that's what we should be doing as well.

He already knows what's in our heart. He knows what's in our mind, so let's talk to him about those things. Don't try to hide them. And I think this reality of knowing that God is omniscient in this manner. Should encourage us to be more open and vulnerable with him. He already knows it's going on inside, so let's be open with him and talk about these things with him and not try to hide them.

Yeah. Jesus will make mention of that specifically. And, and sometimes maybe we miss it because there's so many other things going on, but in Matthew chapter six, right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, you know Jesus is talking about a. Different things and he brings it up really twice. One, in talking about prayer specifically, and, and that's kind of where we are.

Why, why hide anything from God when we're talking to him about what's going on in our life? Why, why hide? He, he sees all of those things and, and so Jesus, when he is talking about prayer in Matthew chapter six. And he's, he, he's contrasting the way the hypocrites pray versus the way his disciples would pray and, and he reminds them in chapter six and verse eight.

Therefore, do not be like them talking about the hypocrites for your father knows the things. You have need of even before you ask him. Mm-hmm. And then he will reiterate that at the end of the chapter when he is, he's talking about stresses and worry and anxiety and how people can just be overwhelmed with those kinds of things.

And Jesus is trying to.  Paint the picture that for his disciples, there's no need to worry about. Mm-hmm. Any of those kinds of things. And so he'll remind him again, verse 31, don't worry saying, what shall we eat? Or What shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? Verse 32 for after these things, the Gentile seek for your heavenly Father knows you need all these things.

And so you have that, you know, that picture and that word given to us about what God knows. Mm-hmm. And so, again, comfort.  Mm-hmm. Because of that. Yeah. Well, I think that's maybe the, the thing we wanna leave everyone with today as we kind of wrap this discussion up is let, let's not be fearful of these realities about God, but let's recognize them and find the comfort in them that we're intended to.

These, these characteristics and attributes of God are intended to bring about a reverence and respect for who he is and what he's capable of. But in all of these things, we can find great comfort. He knows what's best for us. He knows what we need, as you just referenced. He knows what our future holds.

All of these things should be of great comfort to us. And so let's close in Hebrews chapter four with one of these passages of scripture that speak to.  God's all-knowing capabilities, and let's find the comfort in this that we are intended to. Hebrews chapter four and verse number 13. There is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 

Thank you for listening this week. If you haven't already done so, we'd appreciate it if you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast. Whatever platform you're listening, rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of Jesus widely and effectively as possible. Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk again next week.