He Is Before ALL Things

For my 18th birthday, one of my closest friends got me a mug as part of a birthday gift. On the mug there are five simple words: "He is before all things". When I received this mug, I thought it was lovely, but I had no idea how much I would need the words printed on it in the months to come. 

Just a month after I was given this gift, COVID-19 lockdown began, which led to an unexpected and crazy ride for every person everywhere that continues to the present. I, along with millions of others, went through intense stress during all of the changes of everything, and I found myself asking God many questions. In the middle of all the chaos, both in the world and in my own life, I paused one morning while drinking some tea out of that mug and read what was printed on it. I had read it so many times before... but somehow, in that moment, the Holy Spirit spoke to me deeply through it. 

I felt as though He was saying, "Jaléna... I've always known all of this. Fear not. I know how this is going to work out. All of it". That brought so much peace to my heart in the moment, and it has been something that I've been clinging to ever since. Every illness, hardship, lay off, waiting period, complication, plague, election, emergency, attack, battle... He knows about it all, and He has known about it all since the beginning of time. He has always been before it all, and He had to give permission for those things to come to pass. That means that He is still in control, even when things seem out of control, and that we can trust Him through it all. 

But if all of that is true, then why do we fear things that we can't control? Why do we fear the unknown? If God is above it all, then why are we afraid of it all? 

It's because we often forget that truth, and we need to constantly remind our souls about it. Truthfully, there is absolutely nothing to fear. Yes, the things of this world are scary, and there are so many things that can go wrong with anything, but God is before it all! He will not allow something to happen without providing a way through it. He will either protect us from even facing the things we fear in the first place, or He will walk with us and comfort us as we face them. Either way, we can rest assured that He has a purpose for everything, He is still protecting us while we face troubles and fears, and He will help us through this life.

If He is before all things, then that means that He not only knew everything before it happened, but also that He continues to know everything before it happens. He knows what will come our way in the future, and how every day will look. He knows when we'll face future trials, and how we will get through them. He knows when we'll have hard days, and when we're have wonderful days, and He knows how every mystery will unfold. Like the author of a novel, He has beautifully written every word, every chapter, and every book of all of our lives, and He is not caught off guard by reading any plot twists. You can trust God to write your story, because He already knows how every page of it looks! 

Just think of it this way. We look back all throughout history, and we see how things worked out even when it seemed hopeless. The people living in the time when the history was the present would've most likely felt very scared, worried, and hopeless, just like we feel when we find ourselves in the middle of living the hard things that will one day be history. However, we're not usually worried when hearing about what's history, because we know the ending! We know how and when things got better, and knowing that brings us peace. God knows exactly how and when things will get better for us, and invites us to live in the peace of trusting that one day it will all make sense, and that things will always work out for the better. All things work together for the good of those who love Him, and that is a promise we can cling to. 

Whatever it is you're facing or fearing now, and whatever may come your way... I hope you remember that God will carry you through. Nothing takes Him by surprise, and nothing ever will. He promises to walk with you through it all (Isaiah 43:2), and you can trust Him to write your story beautifully. One of these days, you'll read back what you're living now, and you will get to tell everyone all about how God proved that He is Who He says He is, and that He truly is before all things. Until that day comes, I pray that you can imagine it now, and that that thought fills you with peace and joy. 

We don't have to fear. He is before ALL things.