Through All

Through and Without; All and Nothing

Do you truly believe that everything was made by God? I am not just referring to the trees and the sky, but also heartache and pain.

Would your life change if you grasped the truth that “through him all things were made?”

When I pause and can see each circumstance with the truth that He created all, I get a deeper understanding of what He wants to do in my life. The marital conflict I experience looks different than just a temporary pain. It becomes an opportunity to grow in Christ. The hurtful words of others becomes an opportunity for me to remind myself that I am wonderfully and beautifully made. The stress of daily life causes me to pause and ask God for insight and strength.

But when I do not pause, I allow each of those circumstances to spiral out of control. I remain angry, hurt, and confused. I lose control of my faith and rest upon my own self to conquer these difficult circumstances. My anxiety gets the best of me, and I say things and do things that are not wise.

In the book of John, it states…

Through him all things were made;

without him nothing was made that has been made.

Within this scripture, John is hoping that the audience will grasp the greatness of God. He is bringing the picture of God and Jesus together helping us to see that they are One and they have been forever in existence together. So when we encounter Jesus, we will know that we are encountering God. When God created, Jesus created! Therefore, “through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

Two statements saying the same thing.

Two statements emphasizing the same truth.

Truth that is mind-altering. Truth that holds endless power. Truth that is often unrecognized blocking our personal growth and trust in a mighty God.

Through and all..

Through him all things were made.

What was made? ALL THINGS!

Without and nothing…

Without him nothing was made that has been made.

What would be made without him? NOTHING!

Through divine power, the entire universe was intricately formed, and without it, there would be emptiness. But do we truly absorb this reality?

Imagine this: EVERYTHING WAS CREATED THROUGH HIM, and NOTHING EXISTS WITHOUT HIM.

So, why did the writer say the same thing twice just in different ways?

Why is this important to us?

Because when we truly understand that THROUGH Him all was made and WITHOUT Him nothing was made, we will look at our current life circumstances through a different lens. Life can become difficult causing us to embrace things in our lives that we find unpleasant and do not understand. When faced with challenging situations, it becomes difficult for us to fully embrace the concept of “through and without; all and nothing.”

When we understand the depths of with THROUGH and WITHOUT, we will be able to find comfort even in the darkest of times. Living within this realm of comfort, we will be able to grasp that NOTHING shocks or surprises God because it has already passed through His hands. Nothing is without His awareness and His divine guidance.

Author and pastor Chuck Swindoll says it this way…

NOTHING touches me that has not passed THROUGH the hands of my Heavenly Father. NOTHING.

Fully understanding this statement brings each of us peace even in the hardest times. The thought of knowing that everything I experience here on this earth has already passed through His hands brings comfort beyond words. It brings peace that He is keenly aware of my situation and never ignores even the smallest of details.

So, carry on my friend as you navigate through this life knowing that Through and Without; All and Nothing are simply the truths to remind us that we can rest in His divine creation.

Written by Melody Westbrook. 
Melody Westbrook is the founder of The Walk Ministries, a ministry designed to bring women together through God’s story. She was a pastor’s wife for 35 years and has authored the book The Walk Back to Eden. She is a communicator who loves to tell God’s story written within each of us while using her personal experience of a broken marriage and childhood survivor of abuse to communicate God’s redemption story. She loves teaching real women real stories of real life from God’s word. You can find her at http://facebook.com/thewalk.edw/