Last week, our 11-year old son made a presentation for his homeschool co-op. Of all the famous people on whom he could have chosen to present, he chose Neil Armstrong, the first man who walked on the moon. We will never forget that moment. July 20, 1969, was a day that made us proud as Americans. Astronauts are some of the brightest people in our country. Already very bright, they sit through hours and hours of in-class learning, followed by a grueling NASA long duration flight astronaut physical, followed by even more hours of training at a test pilot school program. All to say, only an extremely low number of people get to be an astronaut.
No question, our planet is full of bright minds. There are those who possess unique cognitive abilities to observe, logic, reason, and form concepts. From there, they recognize patterns, innovate, explain, solve problems, and make decisions to benefit people like us. But even though much has been discovered and learned in past centuries, I am still amazed each time some brilliant mind(s) discovers something more about our world. Our world is indeed very complex. I have no doubt there is still much more to know. Or, should I say there is still much more to know that God already knows. He created the world, so he understands a whole lot.
Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
Christians comment that God is an omniscient God. The compound word, “omniscient,” derives from two Latin roots: omnis meaning “all,” and scire meaning “knowledge.” Putting them together, the word means, “all-knowing.” Our God knows beyond a lot. He knows everything and anything. Unlike any of us, he does not need to learn anything. There was never anything for him to learn. When we say that our God is omniscient, it means that he knows it all. He is a Know-It-All, literally.
Job 37:16 Do you know the balance of the clouds, those wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge? Luke 5:22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?”
As if that is not impressive enough, check out these verses what they say about God.
Romans 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren... Acts 3:18 But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.
Does this mean that God knows the future? I think so. God’s omniscience extends to his ability to know the future. He knows everything that will happen before it happens. God was the one who told Joseph there would be seven years of famine and seven years of plenty. He told Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar would eat grass like an ox and live in the wild. He told Ezekiel that the temple would be desecrated. God understands fully everything that has happened and everything before they happen.
As you and I go through together this thing called life, how many times have we wished there was someone nearby who knew the future? Someone who could show us which is the better option. Someone who would let us know if we were looking in the wrong place, and spare us from hours and hours of time wasted. Well, there was. I mean, there is. God knows our future with full certainty. There is no uncertainty with God. He does not need to code if-then statements in his mind. Flowcharts do not exist in God’s workstation. If it is true that God knows what will happen tomorrow, and I do believe he does, then he also knows exactly what actions you and I ought to take today.
As creatures, we are limited. Our best efforts at understanding are limited too. Even the minds of our bright astronauts are limited. We get frustrated in life, and every day we feel our own limitations put us at a disadvantage. God’s omniscience should make us want to trust his messaging, his timing, him. It is not wrong to try and figure things out on our own. But why won’t we give it a try and ask God to show us which way we should go? Is there any reason to hold us back?