Words of Grace

By Rev. Mahlon Nevel

The omniscience of God is just one of the attributes that the Lord possesses. An attribute is a divine quality that is unique to God alone.

Omniscience can only apply to God. It is the all-knowingness of God. No wonder that when Paul tried to imagine the omniscience of God, he exclaimed:

“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”

When Jesus taught his disciples pray what is called “the Lord’s prayer,” he told them that their Father already knew what things they needed even before they asked. That is the omniscience of God.

The question has been asked: Why pray if God knows ahead of time what it is that we need? The answer is that God still wants us to ask.

“Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and you shall find; Knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

To pray is to ask. To pray to seek. To pray is to knock. And, Jesus promised that every one of his children who ask and seek and knock will have their prayers answered. (V. 8)

If we know what our children need, how much more does God know what we need. If they ask us for bread, will we give them a stone? If they ask for fish, will we give them a serpent? (V. 9, 10)

We know how to give good gifts to our children. So does our heavenly Father. He gives good things to us when we ask. (V. 11)