You are my Everything

Sometimes during worship at church, while everyone else is standing, I sit down. I might pull out my journal and write down some thoughts prompted by the awareness of God’s presence. Or I might simply close my eyes and let the words of praise wash over me.

A particular Sunday finds me sitting, pen in hand, journal open. The words of Revelation Song, written by Jennie Riddle, fill the sanctuary.

Jennie says she wrote the lyrics out of a need we all have to lift our eyes off the rubble and worry of our days onto somebody so much bigger than ourselves. Revelation chapter four inspired the lyrics.

The song paints a wonderful picture of all-encompassing worship of the Worthy Lamb who was slain. It speaks of the Holiness of God Almighty, praise to the King of King; rainbows of living color, flashes of lighting and rolls of thunder.

I close my eyes and hear:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come
With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything and I will adore You.

‘You are my Everything’ I repeat the words softly.

The phrase comes alive in my heart.

I say it again, this time directed it to the Lord. I want to fully mean it, but I’m not sure how.

Later that same day, alone on our screened in porch, the phrase remerges in my heart and I ask, ‘What does it really mean?’

Everything means every-thing. There’s no room for anything else.

I think of how the declaration, ‘You are my Everything’ is such an appropriate response to several verses which have been hot on my heart lately:

“Do not fear, Abram, I am your shield, your Exceeding Great Reward.” [1]

And:

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good;[2]

If God Himself is my Exceeding Great Reward and His nearness is my good, then why wouldn’t I respond with, ‘Lord, you are my Everything?’

But, where do my other affections come into play, the people I’m to love?

If God is my Everything, what about everything else? I think of monks and nuns in monasteries, shutting out the world to pour every waking thought upon the Lord.

But what if I don’t live in a monastery?

I write the following prayer in my journal: ‘Lord, I declare that You are my Everything. Please show me how to walk this truth out in my life.’

Paul’s words to the Colossians come to mind:

“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” [3]

The word ‘before’ in the above verse means ‘in front of’, yielding the idea that when we see Him, we see all other things besides. So, in Him, and as we focus on Him, all other earthly things are included and considered.

Then I think of what Jesus calls a summary of the entire Law and Prophets:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”[4]

The word ‘all’ in the Greek means whole or complete. Our entire affection is to be upon the Lord. Yet, in the verse Jesus also mentions our neighbor: The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

“How is the second commandment like the first?”

It occurs to me that if I am fully loving the Lord, loving others will naturally flow out of my relationship with Him. Others will be loved with His love, through me.

God is my Everything and I can relax in the amazement of it. When He is my All, everything else that is important is swept along and included.

I stop a moment and let this sink in.

I feel tremendous pressure released from years of trying to love my family and friends with my own selfish love.

“Lord, you are my Everything. I release my family and friends to your love. As I’m loving you with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind, love them with your love.”

I turn to Revelation 4 and read in verses 9-11: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”[5]

In that day there will be no doubt. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[6] Everyone will realize that Jesus Christ created all things and in Him all things hold together. He is all, in all; in a word: Everything.

And He is no different this very moment than at that scene in Revelation 4.

I picture myself singing praises along with all creation. Hesitation melts away. I feel no pull in my heart for any earthly affection. It is all swallowed up in His love for me and my love for Him.

I recall scripture stating that our greatest earthly loves should be like hate compared to our love for our Lord. [7]

And Romans 8:18 which states: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

“My Lord, my Savior, my King, you are Everything; whether I acknowledge it or not, it is true. You really are my Everything. I state it with true faith and sincerity.”

Days have passed since that Sunday. In the hours in which I live according to that Sunday declaration, loving others flows easily out of loving Him. Duties are delights as I work to bring Him glory.

But alas. Every hour is not so. Urgent needs arise. Responsibilities pile up, Old longings for peace and comfort press in. Freshly desires to depend on and cater to ‘self’ crowd in. Slowly trust is replaced with ‘try harder’.

It happens slowly at first. Old fears creep in. Joy fades. Discouragement approaches.

I grab a quiet hour and open my journal to that Sunday, an Ebenezer stone of remembrance. I read my prayer. ‘Lord, you are my Everything’.

I cry out. “Restore me Lord. Bring me back before your throne.”

Singing and praising with all creation, the Worthy Lamb, the King of Kings. Rainbows of living color, flashes of lighting and rolls of thunder adorning His Holiness.

“With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings
You are my everything and I will adore You.”

[1] Genesis 15:1b NKJV

[2] Psalm 73:28a NASB

[3] Colossians 1:17 NASB

[4] Matthew 22:37b-40 NASB

[5] Revelation 4:9-11 NASB

[6] Philippians 2:10-11 NASB

[7] Matthew 10:37, Luke 14:23 NASB