Does God Really Know Everything?

My little newborn baby, or “Abram-bear,” “Mr. Squirmy Pants” or any number of other nicknames we have for him, is apparently my whole world these days. This is a really weird new reality for me. My world has always been really big. Since I was little, I had a HUGE community of people around me at all times. And as I got older, I usually had a never ending slew of responsibilities both at work and in my community. So for all that to come to a screeching halt, and my world to get really really small – to spin around one little human – it’s strange to say the least.

It’s not that community or my previous responsibilities have become unimportant, I care about them deeply as I always have. It’s that this little human needs ALL of me right now. As any new mom can relate, I can barely make a phone call or pay a bill before he quickly calls me away with his smiles, cries, coos and needs.

I’ve seriously considered hiring someone to stay home with him while I go back to work. Many moms choose to do this or they have no choice and I completely understand. However for me, I quickly realized that I really want to be here for all the little moments of his brand new life, at least for a while. I want to be here to see when he figures out how to hold a toy, or when he realizes that the little boy in the mirror is actually him. I want to discern which cry is because of some serious pain and which cry is just a need for attention. And I want to watch him discover the world through his brand new eyes.

I’ve heard people say that moms “just know” instinctively what’s wrong with our children and how to fix it. This is not so – I’ve spend countless frustrating nights having no idea what’s wrong with my son or how to fix it. The only reason I “just know” anything at this point is because of I’ve been there the last 30 times he’s done that particular thing and I’ve learned.

Does God Really Know Everything?

So why do I choose to spend so much time with my son? Because I want to know him. I want to know what he thinks, how he processes, what makes him upset, what makes him happy. I want to know my child because I love him but also because it make parenting a whole lot more possible. So I’ll sacrifice however many hours, days, or weeks as I can to simply be by his side so that I get to know him.

It occurred to me that this is how God feels about us. He wants to know us. Most of us take for granted that God knows everything. But have we stopped to ask WHY He knows everything? This knowledge is not magic – it is earned. Just like me with my son, God has been there with you at every step. He has taken the time and energy to be there when you scraped your knee, when you had your first heartbreak, when you doubted yourself, when you doubted Him. He has been there with you through it all – and that’s why He knows everything about you. Like a loving parent, He has sacrificed his time and energy to be by your side, to see the world through your eyes – so that He may know you.

I know how much it takes for me to try and be there for just one little person, and yet God does this for every one of us…in the dark moments and in the good moments. This is why His knowledge is absolute. From personal experience I can firmly say that this amount of dedication and time can only be devoted to another if motivated by great love.