Sustain is variously defined as “to keep in existence; maintain; prolong….To supply with necessities or nourishment….To support…encourage….To endure or withstand…” (Amer. Her. Dict.). In the Scriptures, it is the Lord who sustains His people. David says, “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul” (Ps. 54:4). Then again, in the next chapter, David encourages us with these words: “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken” (vs. 22). God sometimes uses human agency to sustain. This is indicated by Isaiah who says, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word” (50:4).
The need for sustenance is as deep and wide as the world itself. There is no one without need of the Lord’s sustaining power. From a purely physical perspective, we stand in need of God for every blessing connected to life. In making God known to the Athenians, Paul said, “in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Jesus describes the Father as causing “His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and [sending His ] rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mt. 4:45). Jesus Himself is a partner with the Father in sustaining the physical creation. He is the One through whom the Father made the worlds (Heb. 1:1-2). He is the One through whom all things are held together (Col. 1:17). Apart from the sustaining power of God, the universe would fall apart. Peter tells us that “the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Pet. 3:10). The only thing necessary to bring about the end of God’s material creation is for Him to withhold His sustaining power. The end will not come as a result of some mysterious cataclysmic event brought about by the gradual process of global warming—it will happen “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…” (1 Cor. 15:52). It is absurd to think that we have any control either in determining or predicting the day of Christ’s return and the destruction of the world. Only the Father has that information (Mt. 24:36).
But, for the Christian, sustenance also takes on the form of encouragement, nourishment, and support. In our struggles to live for Jesus, we are as dependent upon the Lord for spiritual strength as we are for daily physical provisions. Where would we be without the Lord? God is the Giver of “every good and perfect gift” (Jas. 1:17). Let us not forget that this applies also to His abundant spiritual provisions. In Christ, we enjoy “every spiritual blessing” (Eph. 1:3). Through the true knowledge of Him, we have been given “everything pertaining to life and godliness…” (2 Pet. 1:3). God has provided for our encouragement, support, and nourishment. We take advantage of His offer for sustenance through prayerful trust, earnest study of His word, and mutual exhortation in the body of Christ. Has there ever been a greater need to seek the care and provision of the Lord? We have been called as Christ’s followers to “sustain the weary one with a word” (Is. 50:4). When we are so often tempted to use our God-given faculty of speech in ways inappropriate for one who has been called to be like Jesus, resolve instead to sustain one another with words that build up, give grace, and meet pressing needs (Eph. 4:29).
–Glen Elliott–