Our God Sustains!
What does the word, Sustain, mean? There is no expiration date on God’s understanding of sustaining His Creation from the world He created to all mankind.
Does the Sun say, “Not again!” when it rises. Or the stars grumble, “I think I will hide – no one will miss me! No one pays any attention.”
When God sustains, He Restores, Nourishes, Provides, Comforts, Forgives and Saves.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.
This one verse declares the importance of God’s concern for sustaining us spiritually, physically, and emotionally.
Physically God sustains our health and strength to do the good works He has prepared for us during the time we are here.
I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Psalm 3:5-6
Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble, the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; He is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness, you restore him to full health. Psalm 41:1-3.
You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. Nehemiah 9:20-21.
Spiritually God sustains our spirit for an eternity to live with Him.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous to be moved. Psalm 55:22.
The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. Isaiah 50:4.
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I Corinthians 1:4-9.
God is our Teacher. Thus, says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” Isaiah 48:17.
God is Love. By sustaining us and sending His Son to save us, He teaches us to love. How do we know we have learned to love? Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. I John 4:8.
When we believe we are alone, and no one cares, we cry out to the Lord for assurance. He assures us because He loves us. This teaches us to befriend the friendless.
When we are loaded down with guilt for sinful actions and ugly words spoken in anger. He comforts us with forgiveness. We learn to forgive others.
When a loved one dies and we cannot bear the hurt and sorrow, God comes to comfort us, He is teaching us to comfort others as they mourn.
When we have nothing left to eat, God provides. And we learn to provide for others.
What do we do when we are at the end of our patience in a situation that is painful, physical or spiritual, or emotional? We can revel in tears and sorrow. Yet the ‘poor me’ attitude cannot last. There are distinct ways to dispel sorrow and loss. After Fifty Years of Marriage, my Dad passed away. My mother wrote a poem, Walking Lanes.
You left our old familiar lanes, One awe-filled summer day in June.
I heard the sigh of your last breath Before you walked away at noon.
Today, on unfamiliar lanes, I often stumble as I go,
But I must brush the mist aside and speed my journey, which moves slow.
To keep my coming rendezvous on golden lanes with God and you.
Anna Daisy Siemens
Find Joy in the Lord and praising Him and His many gifts, has been my way of finding comfort and renewal in Him. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18.
While praising God for His many gifts, He freely gives our comfort and our joy. Then I read in His Word… Fear Not! I read about Apostle Paul while serving the Lord through all kinds of suffering, writes the ‘Rejoice!’ portion in Philippians, and I smile and say, Amen and Amen!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again. I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7.
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