“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
Colossians 1:15-20
How many times do you look around the world and ask, “Where are you Jesus?”, “Why is this happening?”, “When are you coming back to make all things new?”
In recent years I’ve caught myself asking Jesus these questions frequently. As image bearers of God we weren’t created to endure the exposure to so much darkness: death, poverty, hatred, confusion, natural disaster, and so much more.
Some of us have lost loved ones to death. Some of us know the struggles that come with poverty. Some of us have first-hand experience of being on the receiving end of racial slurs and hate crimes, while others of us were the ones sending them out. Some of us are currently confused by the brokenness of a relationship. And some of us are still trying to recover from the most recent natural disaster. All of us, no doubt, have traces of PTSD laced throughout our lives.
And while the fact remains, each one of us has been exposed to the trauma that we name Sin, in God’s perfect plan, Sin and its destructive ripple effects were never intended to be part of this world.
But here we are.
How do we manage?
So if this is our reality how do we cope with the day to day exposures of evil? How do we manage our faith in this broken world?
We trust in the supremacy of Christ. He is the Son of God, and He is supreme over ALL things.
Jesus Christ is supreme over all forms of sin and brokenness: physical ailments, mental ilness, broken relaitonships, racism, genocide, and everything in between.
Your personal brokenness and my personal brokenness will be completely restored through Christ’s power and the peace that was made possible through the shedding of His blood. No other person has the power and superiority to restore and hold together ALL things.
In the Old Testament, the Isrealites repeatedly made sacrifices for the atonement of their sins. There were very specific rituals that accompanied the different types of sacrifices made. They had to routinely make these sacrifices because none of them were supreme enough to cover all their future sin and brokenness.
He Is Enough
But thanks be to God for sending Jesus because his blood was superior to the sacrifices made by the Isrealites. His blood was the perfect sacrifice that continues to be sufficient enough to cover our sins today.
His life, death and resurrection were enough.
Christ is enough.
And if Christ is enough, there is no need to strive any longer.
Since His blood is enough to atone for the sins of the world, He is certainly powerful enough to restore all the brokenness we see and experience. He will one day exert his full authority over the earth, above the earth, and below the earth, and we are told every knee will bow and every tongue confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord.”
While we may be ready for Jesus to fix all the things right now, we must wait and anticipate His return in God’s perfect timing.
I often sing a song to my daughter as I’m laying her down before bed. When I sing this song over her, I usually find myself soaking in its simple truths and I picture Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father, looking over the world, holding it all together in His hands. You can probably guess the song I’m referring to.
If you guessed He’s got the whole world in His hands you guessed correctly! Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of simple truths like Jesus holds all things together and we are God’s beloved children.
I pray you are reminded of Christ’s sufficient power and His superiority over whatever you are experiencing today.
