Now, whenever all may be subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also shall be subjected to Him who subjects all to Him, that God may be all in all.
Paul To The Corinthians (1) 15: 28, Concordant New Testament
Most believers can testify to the fact that the universe and all which we see has been created by the spoken word of the Lord. God said it, and it came to be. I assume that we can also agree that it is God who created who we are. First in His image {Genesis 1:27}. Then by giving life to His image {Genesis 2:7}. Knowing this, we can assume that God is present in each and every aspect of what He created. He is indeed all in all {Paul To The Corinthians (1) 15:28}. Yet, there are times where we certainly do not see the God who is all in all in certain parts of our lives. It's easy to coast through the good times in life and proclaim that we are indeed blessed. I wouldn't argue with that, for we are indeed blessed. But what about those times in our lives when we don't feel so blessed? I can speak from experience because I have been going through a difficult season as of late. Is it possible for me to still proclaim that I am blessed? Absolutely! The issue for many people is that they refuse to see God in their most difficult circumstances. If God is all in all, then He is in our pain and sorrow as well. But we seldom look for Him there. Instead, we put out our prayers of "Help me, Lord." I get it. Because when the chips are down and life gives us lemons, we instinctively turn to God for help. I don't fault others for doing that, it's what we've been taught to do in tough times. Believers worldwide form prayer groups and chains with the express purpose of praying for those in need. Here in Portland, there is a weekly Sunday evening call in prayer request show on a local Christian radio station. The Hearts of Love broadcast has been sending out prayer and praises to local listeners for many years. However, I have never heard the hosts mention that God is with us in our pain. That's an issue. For when we do not see God in our struggles, we might slide down that slope of seeing ourselves as being separated from Him. This is the lie spoken to Adam and Eve in the garden by Satan {Genesis 3:5-6}. In reality, we have never been isolated from the Father. He has never changed. He has always been all in all.
Who will transfigure the body of humiliation, to conform it to the body of His glory, in accord with the operation which enables Him even to subject all to Himself.
Paul To The Philippians 3: 21, Concordant New Testament
People are big into claiming that we cause our own pain. That it is because of our addictions and bad choices that we end up in difficult stages of life. While this may be true on the surface, where is God through all of this? Is He not completely involved in this as well? It might be difficult for the believer to wrap their minds around the truth the God is in our pain and suffering, but that is indeed where He is. God was in the pain and suffering of Abraham as well as the pain of His servant David. So He is with us. The apostle Paul speaks to the truth of Christ Jesus in him in Galatians {Paul To The Galatians 2:20}. By this we know that we are in Christ. This is our union with Christ Jesus and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. Christ in the Father, we in Jesus and Christ in us. Knowing that He created us in His image, how is it that we can then proclaim that God is not an intimate part of our lives? When we speak of God being all in all, we definitely need to understand that there is no part of His creation that He is not a part of. This, of course, includes those places where we would not expect Him to be. How liberating is it to know that even in our darkest times, God is right there with us? All in all.
Wherein there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, freeman, but all in all is Christ.
Paul To The Colossians 3: 11, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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