What Can You Tell God if He Knows Everything?
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The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.
“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away?
Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
After thinking on verses like these that highlight God’s omniscience and omnipresence how does that effect your understanding about prayer?
One of our concerns is summed up well in Matt 6 8
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
What’s the point of telling God anything since He already knows everything?
This question misses out on one of the key truths Jesus was teaching his disciples about prayer.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
First of all, God hates hypocrisy in our prayer life. Are we every guilty of being hypocrites when we pray?
God wants us to come without pretense when we pray. He wants us to come to him in truth as we are. Many times when we pray we try to be something we are not. We have this false notion that we have to clean up our act and fix ourselves up before we pray.
What does Matt 11:28 say? “Come to me, all you who have a seminary vocabulary, who can spends hours in concentration without letting your minds wander, and I will give you rest.” Is that what Jesus says?
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus doesn’t want us to go to our Father in a hypocritical manner. God already knows us anyway. What is the point of pretending? Come to God in your mess, seeking his grace, in full dependence upon Him. That is the kind of prayer God delights in.
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
Do fall for the lie that you have to use ostentatious language (big and fancy words) to get God’s attention in prayer.
Are we ever guilty of this? Sometimes when we pray with other people we wax eloquent with our best impression of Elizabethan English and five dollar words. What are we doing? Praying to be seen by others.
Jesus is teaching that God’s children don’t need all that.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
You already have God’s attention. You don’t have to get his attention through ostentation. You are God’s child. You already have his ear.
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
You also don’t need to garner God’s attention through senseless repetition (v. 7). You don’t have to say 15 Hail Mary’s before God will hear you.
Why not?
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
God’s children are already the objects of His affection and concern before they pray. Because of this you can simply ask God freely for what you need.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Why does God number our hairs? The same reason my mom has a box full of my baby teeth! God keeps track of our hairs because He loves us!
God knows and cares about the smallest details of your life! Since you are so greatly loved and valued by God, you don’t have to be afraid!
Jesus didn’t see God’s omniscience logically leading to despair, but to freedom from fear.
What can you tell God if he knows everything?
What can you tell God if he knows everything?
Western logic: Nothing.
What can you tell God if he knows everything?
Western logic: Nothing.
Jesus: Anything!
That is the wonderful truth about praying to a God who knows everything about you.
Because God already knows everything about you and still loves you, then there is nothing you can tell him that will change his feelings for you.
How can we be sure that God won’t change his feelings about us?
The doctrine of our union with Christ!
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
This is the beauty of Matt 6 8
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Go to your Father in prayer, the One who knows everything before you ask it. Come before Him with confidence knowing that He knows you, and yet still loves and cherishes you, because of Jesus.
You have your Father’s full attention. And you can be totally transparent with your heavenly Father. No one knows you better.
Is there really anyone else on this earth you can be absolutely transparent with? With complete honesty?
When a Midwesterner asks you how your day is going, how are you supposed to reply? Good. You can’t be transparent with that person.
With God you can be yourself. He knows what you need before you ask him. What can you tell your Heavenly Father in prayer, the One who knows everything? Answer: Anything!
This is the privilege of prayer.