Encouragement for Today

January 31, 2025 There’s Peace in God’s Knowing JASMINE WILLIAMS Lee en español

“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 (NIV)

“Mom! He spilled water on the couch and got your pillows soaked!” My 4-year-old yelled at the top of her lungs, partly concerned about the couch and partly glad she wasn’t the one who spilled the water.

“She already knows,” her big brother replied with such calmness.

Realizing her tattling had no impact, my daughter went about her business while my son helped to clean up his spill, relieved I was aware of his mistake.

How many times do we carry the guilt of a mistake instead of giving it over to the One who already knows? Maybe somewhere in the hidden depths of our hearts, we felt jealous of a friend. Or maybe we answered a question dishonestly instead of being truthful. Perhaps it’s something more habitual, or we’ve found ourselves in a season of apathy toward God.

Whatever the mistake, we can rest assured of this one truth: God already knows. Hebrews 4:13 tells us, “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.”

There isn’t a flaw, big or small, that our God doesn’t see. There isn’t a feeling we can have or an action we can take of which He is unaware.

For years in my Christian journey, that concept felt a little bit scary to me. If I’m honest, my desire to live righteously was more fueled by fear of condemnation than by faithful conviction. While I loved the Lord, part of my well-doing was rooted in fear of Him seeing me mess up.

But on the flip side of fear is love. As 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love drives out fear” (NIV). Grabbing onto that verse opened my heart to a new appreciation of God’s omniscience.

In the same way my son found peace in my knowledge of what he had done, we can have peace when we see just how beautiful it is that our Father already knows. We can turn to Him unfiltered and unashamed because He sees and loves us. He knows our yesterday, today and tomorrow. In Christ, nothing can separate us from God's love, and we can run to Him no matter how badly we mess up. How sweet is it that He opens His arms again and again?

God wants our confession, and “we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13), but for believers, this is not for the sake of punishment — it’s for the sake of relationship with Him! Whether we confess or not, He’s aware of all things. When we struggle with emotions or friendships or any number of things in this world where portraying perfection has become an obsession, we can rest peacefully in the truth that our Father already knows.

God, thank You for seeing me. Thank You for knowing every good and bad thing about me and loving me anyway. Help me to find comfort in Your all-knowing love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Can you believe February starts tomorrow? If January felt like the longest year of your life, why not take a breather and join Circle 31 Book Club as we dive into our next pick, Relaxed by Megan Fate Marshman? Sometimes the biggest hurdle to our progress is the pressure we put on ourselves to do it all at once. This book is all about finding that much-needed peace even when you’re feeling distracted, hurried or anxious. If you’re ready to make real progress, sign up now to join us!

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (ESV).

Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NIV).

What peace do you find in God's knowledge of all things? How can you trade shame for peace as you trust in the transformative power of Christ?

We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts in the comments.

© 2025 by Jasmine Williams. All rights reserved.

Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org