The Illusion of Human Knowledge, God Knows All
Jeremiah 33:3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
The world is good at convincing us that we know best. It encourages independence and rewards intellectualism. It is not surprising that Jesus chose some of the simplest of men to be His disciples because it is so much harder to convince someone who thinks they already know everything, that in fact they know very little. That is the battle we all face every day. We have the fleshly inclination to think that we know better in our daily lives as opposed to reflecting to God. Yet here is God speaking to us as clearly as He was speaking to the prophet Jeremiah so long ago; reminding us of the limitations to our intellect and reason.
Working backwards in the verse we see God reminding us that quite simply, there are things which we do not know! This will come as disheartening news to all the "self-made" people (of which I belonged) out there but despite thinking we know it all, we sadly do not even come close. God reminds us of this in Isaiah:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Yet there we are every day, leaning on our own understanding instead of relying upon our counselor, the Holy Spirit. We have been engrained in modern culture to celebrate the intelligence of man and the accomplishments of human ingenuity. We pursue degrees of higher education with increasing specialty. We then hang them on our walls with pride over what we have accomplished in the acquisition of knowledge. Yet no matter how much human wisdom we can attain, we all fall well short to the ways and knowledge of God.
And what does God promise to tell us in this verse? Not just your average things we do not know. Not just your day-to-day minutia of things we do not know. God is far beyond giving us the answer to trivial pursuit questions. No, He specifically states he will tell us great and unsearchable things, which we do not know. The King James Version says He will show us these things, not just tell us. The promise of showing us great things indicates that there is nothing that is too big for God. He has the answers to those great issues that haunt our lives. He showed the shepherd boy that he would be king. He showed Joseph that he would rise to great prominence. He showed Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. What he shows may not come to pass as quickly as we desire but there is no room for doubt. David would have to wait his turn and pursue God's heart. Joseph would spend years in prison and betrayed by his own brothers but he never let go of what great things God had shown him. Abraham went childless for decades waiting for the promise of God. But in the end the great things God promised, God delivered; for He is not a man that He should lie (Numbers 23:19).
God doesn't stop with just the great things though! He promises to show us things that are unsearchable too! The dictionary defines unsearchable as:
"Not searchable; not lending itself to research or exploration; not to be understood by searching; hidden; unfathomable; mysterious:"
The things God knows and promises to reveal to us are beyond research itself! Beyond the exploration of man! Is there something hidden from you? God knows the answer! Is there something that seems mysterious? God knows the answer! These are things that simply are beyond the abilities that man has to offer. These things are so far removed from us we could not even conceptualize them. But God? Here is the extent of His knowledge:
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 account. Hebrews 4:13
There is nothing in all creation that is hidden from God. Everything is uncovered and open before His eyes. He is willing to show you the great and unsearchable things that you do not know but there is a condition.
You must call to Him. You must seek Him. You must go to Him. God desires a relationship with us. He desires to commune with us. This is accomplished through prayer. Not the ritualistic type of prayer that confines God to a closet or restricts Him. It is accomplished through a prayer-lifestyle. A constant communication with the author and finisher of our faith. Why is prayer so important?
