Some Chinese people are atheists or Buddhists or ancestor worshipers. Also there are many Chinese Christians who worship the true God.
But last year when we visited The Temple of Heaven, a large religious site in Beijing built in the 1400s, we found out what the emperor thought of God.
Out guide informed us the emperor would visit the Temple of Heaven twice a year–once in the spring and once at the end of the year. We first learned there were some similarities between this Chinese view of God and the Judeo-Christian view.
For instance: This building is where the emperor went each spring to ask the God of heaven for a good harvest. We also recognize the fact that God is control of weather and growing conditions.
And this building housed a tablet inscribed with the words “God of Heaven.” That reminded me a little of the Old Testament ark of the covenant that housed the tablets inscribed with the ten commandments.
But this circular altar is where the emperor went at the end of the year to report to God how the year went. I thought: What? Tell God what happened? Didn’t He already know? In the view of the emperor apparently not!
The Bible tells us that God is omniscient–all-knowing.
1 Samuel says:
There is no one holy like the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,
for the Lord is a God who knows,
and by him deeds are weighed.(1 Samuel 2:2-3)
I have to admit that I sometimes have a limited view of God like the Chinese emperor did. Sure I learned in Sunday School and church that God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and completely good. But there are times when I don’t act like I believe that.
I complain to God that He doesn’t understand how I feel.
I try to fix my problems myself, forgetting that the Almighty God is waiting for me to ask for His help.
I sometimes question what is happening in my life and doubt God’s goodness.
It’s then that I need the Holy Spirit to remind me that “the Lord is a God who knows.”
He understands my pain.
He knows the solutions to my problems.
In His might and wisdom He will work everything out for my good.
What is your God like? Right now is view of God limited? Or are you trusting in the God-Who-Knows?