Last Sunday I sat in Sunday School in the youth area for the last time. My youth pastor was praying afterwards and his first words were this, "Lord, thank You for these six years we've had together."
And I just about lost it.
Wednesday night I realized I only had two Wednesday nights left as a student in the youth ministry. But while Matt was preaching a verse that I had read a million times popped out at me...it was this:
Colossians 1:17, "And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
When I'm emotional because my whole life is changing...that verse went straight to the deepest parts of my heart.
This was my train of thought driving home from church:
At the beginning of the year when my financial information wasn't coming through at Liberty and I felt as if maybe college just wasn't going to happen, maybe God had a different plan...
He was holding all things together.
When I was applying for scholarships and crying over essay topics I just didn't understand...
He was holding all things together.
In February when I went to visit Liberty and nothing was set in stone but I knew this was the place I wanted to spend the next four years of my life...
He was holding all things together.
Just weeks ago I spoke at a church about writing my book and my trip to Uganda. But my nerves were eating me alive and I was terrified...
He was holding all things together.
When life is overwhelming and frustrating...when I wanted someone to really talk to, someone who would listen and have the wisdom I needed, but my adopted big brother was in Brazil, my adopted big sister was in California...and the other sister passed away almost three years ago and I missed them so much that it hurt...
He was holding all things together even when it didn't seem like it.
How do I know? How can I be so sure?
Because when I needed that person to talk to, I got a text from Trent (that big brother in Brazil). I got the kind of text that really just said, "Hey, how's your life?" And I knew he wouldn't care if I poured my guts out. We texted back and forth and the tears rose over and over again.
When I went to speak at that church, the Lord gave me such peace and spoke through me as only He could.
Because when my financial information came through it was better than we could have ever imagined. The Lord provided and did it in His time...not mine. All of this is a whole post in itself.
In all of these things He proved to me exactly what that verse says, "in Him all things hold together."
Without Him, I would literally fall apart! My life would crash and burn...but no, in His great love, grace, and mercy, He chooses to hold my life together day in and day out, making sure everything happens exactly when it needs to.
I know, you probably hear that all the time and it probably sounds cliche. Because less than two months ago it sounded cliche to me, too.
But today I can assure you that my God is the One who is making sure the sun will set tonight, the stars (that He knows by name) will be in the right spots, the earth keeps spinning...is also the God who is executing every detail of your life, and mine, too.
So whatever you're waiting for, whatever you think just isn't going to happen, whatever you've lost hope for and are even doubting God about...know He's holding it all together.
Know He's got you and me and all of us in His hands and is very literally holding all things together.
I know at least for me, that is the greatest hope.
~Bailey
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