John Chrysostom

Therefore, let us listen to what the prophet says about this: "Your knowledge is too wonderful for me." But let us see what he says further on: "I will give you thanks, for you are fearful and wonderful." Why "fearful"? We wonder at the beauty of columns, mural art, the physical bloom of youth. Again, we wonder at the open sea and its limitless depth, but we wonder fearfully when we stoop down and see how deep it is. It was in this way that the prophet stooped down and looked at the limitless and yawning sea of God's wisdom. And he was struck with shuddering. He was deeply frightened, he drew back, and he said in a loud voice, "I will give you thanks for you are fearfully wondrous; wondrous are your works." And again, "Your knowledge is too wondrous for me; it is too lofty and I cannot attain to it."Do you see how prudent the servant is and how grateful is his heart? What he is saying is this: "I thank you that I have a Master whom I cannot comprehend." And he is not now speaking of God's essence. He passes over the incomprehensibility of his essence as if it is something on which everybody is agreed. What he is speaking of here is God's omnipresence; and he is showing that this is the very thing that he does not understand, namely, how God is present everywhere. To prove to you that he is speaking of God's omnipresence, listen to what follows: "If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to hell, you are present." Do you see how God is everywhere present? The prophet did not know how this was true but he shudders, he is upset, he is at a loss when he so much as thinks about it.