Holding It All Together

     Long before there was IKEA, Home Depot or Lowe's, there was K-Mart where, on many occasions, I purchased "so-called" simple kits to put together a bookcase, night table, and a student desk.  When you are busy raising four children, you don't go with expensive pieces.  Instead, you go for less expensive, and practical.  So with instructions in hand, I began to work on my projects.  For the most part, things went smoothly until I found a piece missing.  Then, I did what all good people do when something you need is not there....improvise.  As long as the finished product was useable, it did not matter if all the screws were exactly the same size.  I just wanted it to hold together.

Still in one piece even after Hurricane Irma!

     This was also true for the playground fort/swing set that my husband and sons constructed for the grandchildren to play on.  There were a zillion parts which all had to be identified and separated.  The instructions were not a breeze to follow as had been advertised, and when it came to putting it all together, some of the pieces did not fit the way they were supposed to.  So once again, they had to improvise in order to complete the project.  I dare say they did an excellent job because it wasn't even damaged one bit during Hurricane Irma in 2017.   We really weren't certain it would be standing after the storm, but it goes to show that good workmanship pays!
     Though we may not be conscious of it, we are the beneficiaries of a perfect Creator who made all things, and even now, holds them altogether.  In Paul's letter to the Colossians (1:16-17), he writes:
"16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."  When God made heaven and earth, He spoke it into being.  There were no parts missing and nothing was defective initially.  In fact, after each act of creation, God called it good (Genesis 1 and 2). We know that the crown of His creation was man and woman. They were called to work in the Garden of Eden and care for the living creatures.  It seemed as if everything would be perfect until Satan entered the scene.
     At the moment that Eve ate the forbidden fruit followed by her husband, the perfect world became a fallen one under the curse of God's judgment.  Unlike the scenario of missing screws, misplaced drill holes that both my husband and I had to
improvise for, God already had a plan in place before the world, as we know it, came into being.  That is why Paul could write in verse 17: "And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."  God's plan of redemption was set before creation, and the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ for our sin along with his bodily resurrection was the seal that held all creation together.
     God knew before the foundation of the world what would happen.  He wasn't surprised by anything.  In fact, Paul verifies this in his letter to the Ephesians (1:4-5):  "4For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,…"  What an amazing statement!  He chose us to be His own long before we were even created and knit together in our mother's womb. This should encourage us daily.
     Sometimes, we are fraught with worry over life and circumstances.  We may feel like we are falling apart at the seams.  It's at that moment that we need to remember that God holds all things together.  His plan is perfect and His salvation is certain to all whom He calls.  In light of that hope, how can we avoid rejoicing in Him?  Our problems come as a means of testing us, but all the while, God has a hold of us.  He is the answer because He made the plan as recorded in the Bible.  Christ sealed the plan in His blood.  Today, take encouragement knowing that God holds everything together.  We may not see how things will work out but He does.  Therefore, today, trust in the Lord and lay all your burdens down for He is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called by His name (Romans 8:28).  Selah!