DEVOTION – DAY 421

Hebrews 4:13 “God Knows Everything”

Hebrews 4:13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.”

The Bible reveals that God is omnipresent and omniscient. This means that God is all-knowing and He is all-present living God. Thus, nothing can be hidden from Him because he even knows what we are thinking, our motives and what is in our hearts. Nothing escapes Him and one day, everyone will have to stand before His throne and give an account of all that we have done, good and bad and no one can hide anything from Him. Everything will be revealed. There are no secrets before God. But the world we live in are full of people who often lead double lives. In the public eye, they seem to lead moral and upright lives but when they think no one knows, they act very differently. 

In Malaysia, in recent weeks, a well-known former Minister of Finance and ex-politician was being investigated for possessing an enormous fortune that was impossible for anyone of his background to have accumulated. He was suspected of extensive corruption. He is not alone for there are many others like him in our country and in many other nations. 

Recently, the American High Court ordered the ex-US President, Donald Trump to pay US$83 million in damages for defamation against a woman whom he had defamed publicly while he was President. He was also found guilty of sexually assaulting her in a separate trial. In public he wanted to project an image of someone who is upright but behind, when he thought no one was looking, he had behaved differently. Another well-known case was Frank Houston. He was a prominent pastor in New Zealand and Australia. He was the father of the founder of Hillsong church. When Frank Houston was leading churches in New Zealand between 1965 and 1977, he abused many young boys in New Zealand and Australia. He routinely sexually abused one boy in Sydney from the ages of 7 to 12. The boy’s mother reported the abuse in 1999 to the church. The matter was covered up, and Frank Houston made a payment of A$10,000 to the victim. In August 2007, further allegations rose that Frank had sexually abused a trainee pastor in the early 1980’s. But Frank had died in 2004 aged 82 years. Although he would have seemed to escape punishment on earth, he would have to face judgment before the Lord who knows everything.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you for you know everything. Nothing escapes you and you are the Almighty Judge. Please help us to live our lives in ways that honor you and to give you praise. Please deliver us from temptation to sin. We humbly pray in the great name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.  

Questions

  1. Why do people often behave differently in public and when they think no one is looking at them? Discuss.
  2. How does the fact that God sees and knows everything and that we will stand before His judgment throne cause you to act consistently to please God? Share and discuss.
  3. What does God being All-knowing and All-present living God mean to you? Share and discuss.