In the very first book of the bible we learn a few things about the nature of God:
• He is a creator
• He has spirit
• He can call things into being that seemingly didn’t exist before (see light)
• The inanimate obeys his (spoken) commands
• He prefers order?
In this lesson, though we will touch on several of these points, we will focus mainly on His spoken word. In Hebrews the first chapter, we read the following:
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power…”
Something that has stood out to me for several years is the phrase “upholding all things by the word of his power…” We all know that God has the power to do all things. However, this passage seems to be saying that he is upholding all things by His wordful (yes, I made that word up, but you get the idea) power. In other words, an aspect of his power is His word. In this particular case, it’s His spoken word, which we have seen in operation over and again in the bible. He used it in Genesis to create the earth, create light, separate the waters, and if you believe in creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing) everything else.
God’s wordful power is not only active and present in the establishment of things, it is also necessary to sustain or strengthen. This is important because although faith and belief in the former (creation or establishment) should automatically lead to faith and belief in the latter (sustainment and strengthening), that’s not always the case. Oftentimes we feel that God has left us alone and abandoned us. But this is not true. What God has begun in you, He will finish. But it is normal, and part of human nature, to doubt. God knows that. What creator doesn’t know his creation?
As a reminder of God’s faithfulness, we must sometimes look backward in order to have the faith to move toward what was promised. Let me repeat, we sometimes have to look backward in order to have the faith to move toward what was promised. Now, when I say backward, I don’t mean dwelling on past mistakes or wrongs. You cannot go back and change those things. What I mean by looking backward is to see what God has previously done in your life. Ask yourself, has He changed? Is He the same God that He was yesterday? If so, then he will follow through on his promises to you. Here’s a perfect example: In Deuteronomy chapter 8 the people of Israel are being reminded of where they came from in order for them to appreciate and recognize where they are going. God understands our weaknesses and he has prescribed that we review what came before us in order that we not live by fear, but rather by faith..
Do you have a friend who constantly reminds you of what you owe them? Well, many of us, including me, have been guilty of something like that or know someone like that. The difference between God asking us to remember and a human being asking us to remember is the focus: The person wants to remind you of how much you owe them. God on the other hand is asking us to remember in order that we stay on the better path, the one that leads to life. God doesn’t operate a fly by night bus service that will drop you off in the middle of nowhere without a transfer ticket. He is faithful and has already seen the end of the journey. Of course, if you choose to hop off the bus on your own accord, that’s up to you. However, I would recommend staying on and trusting that the one who created you will also sustain and nourish you even when you feel that you’re in the desert. Be blessed, beloved.
Establish
4 a : to bring into existence
Sustain
1: to give support or relief to
2: to supply with sustenance : nourish