God is All-Knowing
Each week in our Great God series, we have been talking about an attribute, a characteristic of God. Over the last six weeks, we have talked about God’s GLORY, God’s JUSTICE, God’s GOODNESS, God’s WISDOM, God’s LOVE, God’s Mercy. Today we are talking about an attribute of God that make you feel a little bit uncomfortable.
All of the other characteristics of God have sound comforting from the start.
Love – that sounds good.
Mercy – sounds good.
Goodness - sounds good.
But God knowing everything? That can feel a little awkward…because everything means…everything. One reason we get nervous about God knowing everything is that when we were teenagers, we perfected the art of covering our tracks. Think about when you were growing up. Maybe you tried to cover your tracks when you cut classes or hid your grades, hid a relationship you knew they would not approve of, sneaked out after everyone went to bed, had something hidden under the mattress, cleared the browser history like you were in the CIA.
We learned early how to cover tracks and mastered the art of “Nothing is going on” when a lot was going on. So, when we hear that God knows everything, something inside of us tightens up. It feels awkward and uncomfortable. It feels like we are about to get grounded for eternity.
We associate being fully known with being fully in trouble. And that’s why God’s omniscience feels so awkward – but as we will learn today, there is actually great comfort in the truth that God knows everything about you…
Psalm 139:1-24 (NLT2)
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. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. 5 You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand! 7 I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— 12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. 13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17 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! 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
I think a bit of context will help us better understand this passage. When Israel began singing this Psalm in worship, they already knew the full history of the man who wrote it.
They knew David was a shepherd boy who killed the giant named Goliath. They knew he was a warrior who led armies. They knew he was a king. And they also knew what he tried to hide.
They knew about Bathsheba. They knew about the adultery. They knew about Uriah - the loyal soldier, the friend - who David had murdered on the front lines of battle so he would die and cover up a pregnancy.
So when Israel sang this Psalm in worship, they knew they were singing words written by a morally flawed man. They were singing words written by a man who knew exactly what it meant to try to hide something.
David knew what it felt like to cover his tracks. Psalm 139 was written by a man who has been fully seen - at his best and at his worst - and still dares to say, “Search me.”
God sees what we do, why we do it, and what we try to hide
This first point is why we feel uncomfortable about God as all-knowing. There is nobody that knows you like God.
Psalm 139:1 (NLT2)
O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
God has examined you. And God knows everything about you. Not most things. Not the highlight reel. Not the version you present on Sunday. Everything.
He knows your daily routine. He knows how long you brush your teeth, how fast you drive, and when you stop scrolling because a reel interests you. God knows the algorithm of your life. God does not simply observe behavior. He understands the intention and motive behind the action.
He knows why you said what you said. He knows why you did what you did. He knows the insecurity under the sarcasm. He knows the pride under the generosity.
He knows the fear under the anger. He knows the “public you” and the “private you.”
He knows the “church you” and the “alone you.” He knows the “in a meeting you” and “in the car on the way home you.” There is no version of you that God does not know.
And, he knows what we are going to say before we say it! Before the text is sent.
Before the argument escalates. Before the words slip out and you wish you could pull them back, God already knows. He sees the impulse forming. He sees the thought building. He sees the decision taking shape.
And as David meditates on how God knows everything about him…he has a sudden thought to hide and cover his tracks…
Psalm 139:11 (NLT2)
I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—
We all have tried to create darkness to hide habits, motives, and struggles. We have all wanted at times to limit others from knowing something about us. But darkness does not work. For God, the darkness shines like day. There is no shadow thick enough. There is no safe sealed tight enough. He sees what we do. He sees why we do it. He sees what we try to hide. And…that can feel…unsettling.
If someone else in your life had that level of access, you would feel exposed. You would be concerned and worried about how they might use that information to hurt you. But God’s knowledge of you is not something you should fear.
His knowledge is a comfort, not a threat
Unlike how we would feel about having the entirety of our lives streaming on YouTube…David does not respond to God’s all-seeing knowledge with panic. He responds, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand.”
That word “wonderful” means overwhelming. David meditates on the fact that he is FULLY known, and he leans in. Why? Because God is not looking for ammunition. He is not scanning your life so He can destroy you. God wants to bless you and protect you. He watches you, to bless you.
Psalm 139:5 (NLT2)
You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
The One who sees your worst thoughts, your worst actions, your worst moments, also places His hand of blessing on you. The One who knows your hidden motives STILL stays by your side. That should bring comfort to you!
We get so wrapped up in ourselves and think that if someone truly knew us, they would back away. But God does not. He sees it all and stays, blesses, and loves you so much, that he even tracks our sorrow and pain and collects our tears.
Psalm 56:8 (NLT2)
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
Your pain is not ignored. Your tears are not wasted. Your struggles are not invisible. You matter to God. You do not have to perform. You do not have to project an image. You do not have to hide your past. You are fully known, and you are STILL loved.
Now, since God knows you completely and loves you completely… what does He want to do with that knowledge?
The God who sees us leads us
Psalm 139 does not end the awkwardness we felt at the beginning…It ends with leadership. After everything David has said about being known, examined, and surrounded, he does not shut down and ask for privacy. He does not ask God to back off.
Instead, David invites God to do something with the knowledge God has of him.
Psalm 139:24 (NLT2)
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
God is not digging around in your heart to find something to use against you…He digs around and searches so he can give you clear, personal, leadership. He reminds you what is broken so He can redirect you. He identifies what offends Him so He can rescue you from it.
See, the God who sees you fully also sees where your current path will lead if left unchanged. And since He loves you, He will not let you keep walking toward destruction.
David wanted correction and repentance so he could experience comfort and reassurance. When David said, “Search me” he was vulnerable. When David said, “Point out anything that offends you” he demonstrated humility. And when he said, “Lead me” that requires surrender.
The God who sees us does not abandon us to ourselves. He takes responsibility for leading us toward life. And that means every uncomfortable nudge, every conviction in prayer, every moment the Spirit presses on your heart, is not God trying to control you. It is God trying to save you from walking a path that will cost you more than you realize.
He sees.
He stays.
He leads.
So if God sees all your life, what are you still pretending He does not see? If He already sees it, why are you still hiding it? Embrace transparent living. If we do not confess to what he points out that offends him, we will slowly drift into a version of ourselves that looks strong but is hollow. God’s is not here to embarrass you…He wants to lead you away from becoming the person you never intended to become.
Get alone, talk with God, and pray Psalm 139:24. “Point out anything in me that offends you.”
And then…wait. Let Him answer.
And when He does, confess, surrender, and allow Him to lead you onto his path for your life.