I often think of the greatness of God. We speak in infinite terms to describe Him, but what is infinity like? We have learned terms to describe God as being omnipotent or all-powerful, omnipresent or ever-present, and omniscient or all-knowing. These words seem to cover everything there could possibly be to describe God’s greatness, but I am curious to explore more.
Colossians 1:17: “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Know It All
When we say that God is all-knowing, my thoughts settle on the fact that He knows everything because He created everything; therefore, He knows everything there is to know, including everything beyond my own comprehension. But what does it mean to know everything?
My curiosity starts here. God knows me better than I know myself. OK, I understand and accept that to mean that He knows every facet of my being, including spiritually, physically, and mentally, even before I was born, as I am this very moment and in my future. But if He knows everything, it must also mean that He knows every if, and, or but that has ever crossed or will cross my mind.
Psalms 139:4: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.”
He knows everything I ever imagined and dreamed, even those dreams that I did not remember when I woke up. He knows every contingency and consequence of every possible decision I could make and of every action I take. That sounds more “all-knowing” to me on a personal level, but let’s step it up a notch.
Not only does this all-knowing God know all about me, but also you and everyone who ever walked the earth. Even those who never had a chance to walk the earth, and all those who come after us. In today’s world, we hear about advancements in intuitive computing. But if all our artificial intelligence, computer sciences, and collective knowledge were heaped into a mega-neural network, it would only appear as a tiny blip on God’s all-knowing radar. All the world’s resources probably could not have the capacity to collect and store, let alone process such data, yet God has this amazing ability to simply know all.
Of course, we should extend this out to God knowing every minute detail of his entire creation. He knows the workings of every amoeba and fungi that ever and will exist, every grain of sand, exactly when every bird hatches, every cow moos, every star’s position at a given moment, our breakfast next Thursday, and on and on. We rely on science, encyclopedias, and the like to gain knowledge, but God simply knows all, the ultimate wiki.
Psalms 147:4: “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.”
Psalms 147:5: “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.”
I thank God that I do not know all as He does. My head would explode if I knew a micron of what God knows. But God gave me just enough knowledge so I can experience my life here on earth. More importantly, God gave me His Word, the Bible, so I could learn in bite-sized portions everything He wants to reveal to me. Isn’t that something! God knows just how much and what type of knowledge I can handle, and He does the same with everyone else. Who can keep track of all that except God?
Here Today, Here Tomorrow
Not only does God know, HE IS. As believers, we accept that God is omnipresent, that God is anywhere and everywhere, all the time. But what does that mean exactly? We believe in the Trinity and know that God the Father has always been present in Heaven, God in human form was and will be present on earth as Jesus Christ, and God is present within every believer as the Holy Spirit. It is very important to understand that God is ever present, all the time.
Job 34:21: “For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.”
But I would like to venture a little further on being ever-present. If God is not limited by time and space, then He must be present at every time and everywhere, including centuries ago and in the future, all in the same instant, all the time. We look at history and the future through the lens of time and create timelines and make projections. But God sees our whole past and future, not just mine, but yours, and everyone else’s, in an instant because He is ever-present.
Let me try to explain it in another way. Imagine at this very moment regardless of where you are and what you are doing, the walls of Jericho are falling, a Sherpa is climbing the Himalayas, your ancestors are coming to America, a baby is taking its first breath, the wheel is being invented, a man visits Mars, etc. I imagine God is seeing all things that occurred or will occur in our time-limited world instantaneously. He sees all of it, all at once, all the time.
Proverbs 15:3: “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
He sees everything in creation working as he planned it to work. God has every contingency and consequence in place so that it all unfolds, or self-corrects, to fulfill His purpose and plan. God maintains and keeps on track His magnificent plan that He reveals to us in the Bible.
So, I figure that God, living in eternity, not only KNOWS all things but is ever PRESENT all at once, all the time. Most of us have trouble rubbing our bellies and patting our heads while blowing bubble gum at the same time. Imagine knowing everything there is to know past, present, and future, being everywhere past, present, and future, and making sure everything is working according to plan. Mind-boggling, isn’t it?
To be present everywhere in the world at once seems impossible for mankind to accomplish even in our world of advanced technology. The closest we have is to make live broadcasts through television, smartphones, and the Internet, but even those do not cover the whole world and certainly do not cover all events occurring at a specific time. So, yes, God has put us in our place, and only He can be all-knowing and all present at the same time, all the time.
Beyond Powerful
Being all KNOWING and ever PRESENT, it is no wonder our God is also all POWERFUL. What could have orchestrated the celestial heavens and all of nature’s ecosystems to work harmoniously so that we and all life could thrive and be sustained here on earth? Did all this happen by accident without purpose or design like the humanistic approach presently taught in our school systems? The way I see it, only a Creator that has unlimited intelligence, reasoning, wisdom, and understanding could have conceived, executed, and sustained such a grand plan. Someone with these abilities could only exist as God.
Jeremiah 10:12: “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.”
Many passages in the Bible teach us of God’s handiwork regarding creation. We read Bible stories of great acts of God recorded in the Old Testament and of His promise to mankind being fulfilled in the New Testament. Amazingly, God can do all of this. It is even more amazing He did this because He loves us. God’s love for us is so powerful it is the only thing keeping our world spinning on its axis, enabling us to live on earth. More importantly, God’s love is so powerful it can save a repentant soul, all repentant souls. The world offers no such power. This power only exists with God, by God, for God.
It is no wonder we know God as the great I AM. There is nothing that compares. The all-knowing, ever-present, all-powerful God is the same God who hears every intimate prayer that has ever been uttered. He hears yours and mine when we quiet our minds and hearts to communicate with our great Creator. It is the same God who helps us individually, sustains us daily, and blesses us bountifully.
Isaiah 46:4: “And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”
Yet, in today’s world, how foolish and minuscule mankind appears when we shake our tiny fists against God and say we know better and can do better than God in running our lives and the world. It seems the only thing bigger than God is our ego.
How shallow our minds are when we think we do not need God in our lives, the one who created us and our world, which is all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful. The idea of removing God from our lives and thinking we know better is almost laughable if it were not so tragic. We all see the sad outcomes of removing God from our schools, our government, and society. We all see the results of allowing sin to run rampant. Only God can vanquish iniquity, and it is happening one soul at a time, and one day all sin and evil will be eradicated by Him.
Bearers of Infinite Light
As Christians, we carry the light of this all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful God. It is a light to the world so that others are attracted to it and can know God. Let us do our part in serving Him and share this light that we are honored to bear.
Matthew 5:16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Proclaim the Gospel any way you can. God blessed you with talents and gifts; see how you can use these to share His Word with others. If you say you have no talent or gifts, at least live by example and pray for others. It is our duty to love others, to share His light and His love. Divine love will work through you when you place your trust and faith in the all-knowing, ever-present, and all-powerful God.
Ephesians 3:17: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,”
Ephesians 3:18: “May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;”
Ephesians 3:19: “And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
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==> Also read “July 4th, A Country Founded on Faith.”
==> And read “Ancient Christian Hymns.”