Google knows all about us

Google Timeline keeps a record of your location history. My Google Timeline says that in 2023 I:
– visited 4 countries, 103 cities and 296 places
– travelled 20,845 km (50% around the world)
– walked 708 km in 170 hours
– drove 14,027 km in 450 hours
– transited 482 km in 9 hours (mainly in France)
– Shopped 173 hours at 48 places (mainly in France)
– visited 12 food and drink places for 18 hours (mainly in France)

As Google Timeline updates locations each 2-3 minutes, the actual distance travelled is greater than is measured along a straight line between these updates by Google Timeline.

Countries visited

United Arab Emirates

France

Switzerland

Cities visited – highlights

Carcassonne, France

Chamonix, France

Umina Beach, NSW, Australia

Places visited- highlights

Terrigal Haven, NSW, Australia

Écluse de Saint-Jean, France

Camping Le Colombier, France

Deerubbun Reserve, NSW, Australia

Near River Séran, France

Trip highlight

Ceyzérieu and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Ceyzérieu, France

Belley, France

Bourg-en-Bresse, France

God knows all about us

The Bible says, God “knows everything” (1 Jn. 3:20) and God “knows people’s thoughts” (Ps. 94:11NLT). “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God” (Heb. 4:13). David said, “You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord” (Ps. 139:4NLT). And Peter said, “Lord [Jesus], you know everything” (Jn. 21:17NLT). God knows what we need (Mt. 6:8). God knows all about us. So we can’t deceive God.

This means that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all by nature omniscient. Omniscience means “all-knowing”. God knows everything about the past, present and future. God’s knowledge is universal and unlimited. God sees and knows everything! Nothing is hidden from Him.

David described this poetically (Ps. 139:1-6NLT),

¹O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
² You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
³ You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
⁴ You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
⁵ You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

In response David feels guarded and protected (v.5) because of God’s infinite knowledge (v.6).

Hannah said, “the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; He will judge your actions” (1 Sam. 2:3NLT). God knows everything about us including our thoughts and motives. We are accountable to God for our sinful behavior. For God to judge righteously, He must know all things.

The fact that God knows everything is humbling (when we realize our limited knowledge), challenging (when we realize that God is watching us), comforting (when we realize God will fulfill all His promises) and can change our life (when we realize that God will judge our actions and attitudes).

Conclusion

Google knows my location in time and space (or more accurately the location of my phone). But God knows much more than that! He knows us better than we know ourselves. And He knows everything about the past, present and future of the universe and all that is in it.

Appendix: What about Mark 13:32?

After Jesus described the signs of the time before His second coming, He said, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mk. 13:32). At that time, He didn’t know the time when He would return to the earth in great power and glory.

As a servant who obeyed God the Father (Jn. 14:36; Heb. 10:5-7), Jesus didn’t know the time of His second advent (Mk. 13:32; Jn. 15:15). But as God, He does know it.

According to the NET Study Notes, “The phrase nor the Son has caused a great deal of theological debate because on the surface it appears to conflict with the concept of Jesus’ deity. The straightforward meaning of the text is that the Son does not know the time of His return. If Jesus were divine, though, wouldn’t He know this information? There are other passages which similarly indicate that Jesus did not know certain things. For example, Luke 2:52 indicates that Jesus grew in wisdom; this has to mean that Jesus did not know everything all the time but learned as He grew. So Mark 13:32 is not alone in implying that Jesus did not know certain things. The best option for understanding Mark 13:32 and similar passages is to hold the two concepts in tension: The Son in His earthly life and ministry had limited knowledge of certain things, yet He was still deity.”

Written, January 2024