Does God know our thoughts?

Answer

Thoughts are the most private aspects of our human experience. No one else can comprehend our thoughts unless we express them, so we often assume that anything we think is secure as long as it remains within our minds. However, there is one Being who always understands what we are thinking; God comprehends everything about us, including our thoughts.

God is aware of our thoughts regardless of who we are or where we are. Psalm 139 begins with these words: “O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar” (verses 1–2). God examines the hearts and minds of individuals, searching for those whose hearts are devoted to Him (Jeremiah 12:3;1 Chronicles 29:17;Acts 15:8). Two of the Ten Commandments address our thoughts. The first commandment instructs us not to worship any other gods besides the Lord «Thou shalt have no other gods before me. », (Exodus 20:3). This pertains to the condition of the heart. The tenth commandment warns against coveting what belongs to others «Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. », (Exodus 20:17). Coveting is also a sin related to our thoughts. During His time on earth, Jesus understood people’s thoughts and responded before they even articulated their questions (Matthew 9:4;Matthew 12:25;Luke 9:47;Luke 11:17). In doing so, Jesus demonstrated the divine attribute of omniscience.

It can be daunting to acknowledge that God is aware of our thoughts. He understands them.In our hearts reside angry thoughts, lustful desires, vengeful ideas, secret greed, and hidden coveting. God is also aware of our concealed longings, hopeful aspirations, and private dreams. And He comprehends. First John 3:20 assures us that “if our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” Sometimes we are more critical of ourselves than God is. He understands that we are fragile humans crafted from dust and born with a sinful nature «For he knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust. », (Psalm 103:14).

If we have surrendered our lives to Christ, then we should take solace in the fact that our loving Father understands us better than we understand ourselves. God is aware of our longing to please Him «The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: And he delighteth in his way. », (Psalm 37:23), even when we falter. Within that loving bond, we have the confidence to pray, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). We need not fear being open with our Creator. There is no point in attempting to conceal things from Him. Whatever the concern, He is already aware of it and desires us to feel secure enough to confess our thoughts to Him (Psalm 50:15;Psalm 91:15;1 John 5:14-15). God comprehends our thoughts, and He assists us in understanding ourselves better when we discuss them with Him.