February 3, 2007
Newsletter Archives

Many wives say that they can read their husbands like a book. It is certainly true in my case. There have been occasions when Barbara (my wife) has picked up on a little action of mine, or a remark, and tells me what is on my mind just then. She isn’t a psychic, or a mind reader, but she knows from experience what interests me, or perhaps what upsets me.
With God it is different; He does know what we are thinking. King David wrote: “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.” Psalm 139:2. And the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, knew the thoughts of those around Him in His day.
It must have come as a shock, to hear the Lord Jesus answer a question before it was spoken, or to have Him ask why His disciples were discussing a particular subject, when He was well out of earshot. Matthew, one of the Lord’s disciples, records: “And Jesus knew their thoughts.” Matthew 12:25
And He is still the same Lord, with the same ability to know our thoughts. It should be a reminder to be careful what we think about because He will be the Judge of the world in a future day.
Yet, for the Christian, this knowledge that our thoughts are open to our God is also a tremendous source of comfort, and should have a calming effect on us. If we ponder for a moment, the indisputable fact that when we are afraid, He knows; when we are unsure of what to do next, the Lord is aware of that too. He can support us through all of life’s trials because of this knowledge.
King David found so much comfort in this. Considering God’s thinking about him, he states, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them” Psalm 139:17. Since God only wants the best for us, and is ready and willing to ease our minds and hearts that are full of care and uncertainty, it is assuring that God knows what we are thinking even when it is beyond us to express it. God is a mind reader and I am happy that He is.

Russ Nesbit