In Him All Things Hold Together
It has been thirty-five years now, but I still remember it like yesterday. It was the morning after I had buried my first husband. I was only twenty-eight years old and he, thirty-three. I was now a single mom of two little boys, just turned four and seven. It felt as if the world had fallen apart. Not just my world, but the entire world. I sat in the middle of a great unknown in pure shock, fear and unbelief.
How could this be and how would I survive? How would I take care of these two little boys? Would I loose the house? Where would I get a job? As my oldest asked, “Who will lock the doors and how will we get money?” I sat in a bed of tumultuous questions.
All the “unknowns” seemed to shout like an ugly monster.
I was staring at my life scattered across the floor like a million tiny pieces of fine china. Surely there must be a net to scoop it all safely back together. In denial, I hoped that I would awaken to discover that I had been trapped in a horrible dream. But each new day signaled that it was not a dream, but my startling new reality.
I well remember the morning that I was tucked away in an upstairs room clinging to my Bible. I was desperate for a word from the Lord to give me hope. You know when you are desperate for Living God to speak, you cling to every word you are reading. And right there in my daily scripture reading, it seemed to be bold face, large font print:
“In Him All Things Hold Together”
I shook. I cried. I read it and re-read it. That was all I could grasp. I wasn’t studying the supremacy of Christ. I didn’t have a clue what came before or after. I didn’t know the context or the deeper meaning. But one thing I did know for certain, God came down and spoke those words to me. If it were possible to reach into the ink and paper and snatch the words from the page, I would have done it. The truth is, that is exactly what my spirit did. I clinched those words and stuffed them deep within my heart and rose up believing that God held my world together. Everything had changed but God was the same and HIs promises to me were the same. It was nothing for Him to hold me together since He held the entire universe together.
I have come to know that the Sprit of God will come close highlighting the words on the page and speak very personally to us. He is alive, personal and very present in all of our circumstances. No matter how shocking, fearful or painful life can be, this truth stands unchangeable. “IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER.”
Before any of you bristle, I know there is great danger in snatching one phrase or one verse from scripture out of context and making a doctrine out of it. But my experience is that God can come and speak a word, a phrase, a verse right into my personal situation. That is exactly what he did for me on that lonely, scary and dark day. And it has happened over and over and over throughout my journey with Him. I pray that you will let God take this one phrase and bring you great strength today.
Right here in 2021, we all need this powerful word. We need to be reminded in the middle of a fast changing world that God is not out of control. Many of you are sitting in your bed of a thousand questions wondering how you will make it; how you will go on, but the Lord Jesus is near and He holds all things together even when the world is falling apart.
Grab hold of these two verses and stick them deep into your heart. For He is in control. This hope for all of us is found in these two verses found in Colossians 1:16-17. I encourage you to eat these words. Chew and digest them. Invite Holy Spirit to make them real to your life situation.
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Deeper Still…going a little deeper:
“Let’s take note of the repetition of 'all things” emphasizing His total sovereignty and complete control over all creation. He created it and He sustains it. He upholds all that He made and He keeps it from falling apart. If He can do this with all of creation, how much more can He keep our lives from falling apart if we surrender to HIs sovereign rule over our lives. Look to Jesus, Who holds all things together.” (D DeHaan)
"How encouraging to know that the eternal God who sustains the entire universe is also watching over you. No detail of your life is too small for His concern; no circumstance is too big for His sovereign control." John MacArthur
“Lord, I believe in you Who holds all things together.
In the midst of this fast changing world, give me faith to believe that you hold me.
I surrender myself to your care.”
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