Our Omniscient God


Psalm 4
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
1Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
2  O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3  But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
4  Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5  Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
6  There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7  You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
8  In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

One of the aspects of the faith we don’t focus on very often is the confidence that we have in Lord. More often we use the word trust. But the feeling generated by David’s words in this Psalm is more like confidence. David cries out to God and expects an answer because he has gotten one in the past. He is confident in God because of their relationship.

And that begs the question: are we also that confident? As I ponder that question for myself I come to two answers. No, I’m not confident that God will do what I ask Him too because I’ve had numerous times in my life when He didn’t! But I am confident that He will always do the best and right thing for me or whoever I’m praying for at the time. Once again the faith presents us with a tension. Of course there are times when I wish God would just see things my way and do what I ask. But He is far more loving and generous than that. Since He is able to see more than I, His choices are always the better ones. I am confident in that. I’m still going to go to Him in prayer and ask Him to do things for me. I’m still going to present my ideas. That’s what a relationship looks like. It’s taken a long time (because I’m a stubborn person) but I am finally willing to surrender (most of) my plans into His hands and confidently expect Him to handle any situation I have with far more creativity and grace than I could ever conjure up. I will not claim complete success with this yet, but my confidence grows each day. In peace I both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

That confidence leads to a place of peace. That formerly discussed confidence is not born in a vacuum. It is born from the peace that passes understanding. It is born out of trust and a certain blindness. That blindness is real for all of us. We cannot see into the future. We cannot possibly know all of the aspects of any situation or circumstance, so peace comes from understanding that God does not dwell in that blindness, for nothing is left unknown to our Omniscient God. That truth brings peace, for I am never left to my own devices when I remain in the Lord.

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