Dr. Dan Hayden •
God is omniscient. That means that He knows everything. He knows everything that ever was, and He knows everything that ever will be. And He knows all about you. In fact, He knew you before you were born.
In Romans 8:29 there is an interesting conclusion to the Holy Spirit’s prayer on our behalf. In verses 26-27 we read that the Holy Spirit prays for us that the will of God will be done in our lives. Then in verse 28 we are told that God answers that prayer by making everything that happens to us work together for our good. And finally in verse 29 He tells us what that good is. He says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” Now that’s the bottom line–all things work together for the purpose of making us more like Jesus, and that’s really good. But did you notice that He does that to the ones whom He foreknew?
Foreknew is the Greek word proginosko. Ginosko means to know about something and Pro is a prefix that means before. So proginosko has the idea of knowing something beforehand or in advance. It is having prior knowledge of something.
This verse is talking about those who become the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and it says that God knew us before we were born.
A couple is peering at the sonogram of their unborn child. They want to know–is it a boy–or is it a girl? They watch the heartbeat and marvel over the tiny movements of the limbs. Wow! What excitement! And one day they say to little Jimmy–“we knew you before you were even born.” Now that’s the way it is with God. He’s excited about the birth of His children.
So, what’s your response when God says that He knew you before you were born? Quite frankly, it shows that God cares about you. He was excited about your upcoming birth and He already had a desire that you would grow up to be just like His beloved Son. “Whom He foreknew.” means that He was planning for your arrival into His family.
God knew you before you were born and He is planning for your future. How good is that?!
For further study, see The Prayer Puzzle.