He Will Hold You Together: Christ's Sustaining Power

Isaiah 40:8

⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall,

but the word of our God endures forever. ” (NIV)

The Word never changes.

This may seem like an oversimplified statement. The Word is written. Of course, it does not change. However, there is a deeper meaning. Christ is also called the Word. The Greek term is logos. 

In philosophy, the word ‘logos’ refers to the divine intelligence or cosmic order that underlies and gives coherence to all that exists. It is the force that holds all things together. When John called Jesus the Word, or as it would have been written by John in Greek, the Logos, he is saying that Christ is the essence of what brings order and holds all things together. Paul reiterates this idea:

Colossians 1:17

¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (NIV)

This phrase ‘hold together’ can mean ‘consist’ or ‘sustain.’ In other words, He is the essence by which all things exist. It is His breath. The Genesis account of creation reminds us that God spoke everything into existence. He breathed out the form of all creation. And He has the power so easily to inhale what He has exhaled. He is in control of everything, even when it does not seem to be. When all that we see is gone, He is.

But also, from a theological perspective, the word ‘logos’ means the divine revelation of this force. In other words, Christ is the exact representation of God. His love, peace, wisdom, and all that He is give us a perfect picture of God Almighty. Not only is He the essence by which all things are held together, but the way He is holds all things together, the way He moves within existence, be it on Earth during His ministry or in the Heavens, or in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. All things are held together by the way God is, so that when we live according to His way, we are held together. Our lives, our sanity, our relationships, our dreams, our hopes remain so long as we live His way.

The wicked spirit of chaos is constantly trying to pull everything apart and pull everything down, but the Word of God, His essence, and His way are too powerful. We don’t have to hold our lives together. We only need to remain in Him and His way. Then, He holds all things together. He is our sustaining power.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to walk in Your ways with confidence, knowing You will sustain me and hold me together. Amen.