Topical Encyclopedia
The concept of "sustains" in the Bible refers to God's provision, support, and maintenance of His creation and His people. This theme is woven throughout Scripture, illustrating God's ongoing involvement in the world and His care for His children.
Divine Provision and SupportGod's sustaining power is evident from the very beginning of creation. In Genesis, God not only creates the world but also maintains it.
Psalm 104:14-15 highlights this ongoing provision: "He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil that makes his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart." Here, God's sustenance is seen in the natural order, providing for both human and animal needs.
Sustaining the RighteousThe Bible frequently emphasizes God's special care for the righteous. In
Psalm 55:22 , believers are encouraged to "Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken." This verse reassures the faithful that God will uphold them through life's challenges, providing strength and stability.
Similarly,
Isaiah 46:4 declares God's commitment to His people: "Even to your old age, I will be the same, and even to your graying years, I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you." This promise underscores God's unchanging nature and His enduring support throughout the entirety of a believer's life.
Sustaining Through TrialsThe sustaining power of God is also evident in times of trial and difficulty. In
2 Corinthians 12:9 , the Apostle Paul recounts God's assurance to him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." Here, God's sustaining grace is portrayed as sufficient to carry believers through their weaknesses and struggles.
The Book of Job provides a profound narrative of God's sustaining presence amid suffering. Despite losing everything, Job acknowledges God's sovereignty and sustenance, ultimately declaring in
Job 42:2 , "I know that You can do all things and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted."
Sustaining Through ChristIn the New Testament, the sustaining work of God is often linked to Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:17 states, "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." This verse affirms Christ's role in sustaining the universe, emphasizing His divine nature and authority.
Furthermore,
Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word." This passage highlights Christ's active role in maintaining creation and His divine power to sustain all things.
Daily SustenanceThe Lord's Prayer, as recorded in
Matthew 6:11 , includes the petition, "Give us this day our daily bread." This request acknowledges God's role in providing for daily needs, reminding believers to rely on Him for sustenance in every aspect of life.
In summary, the theme of sustenance in the Bible encompasses God's provision, support, and maintenance of His creation and His people. Through His power and grace, God sustains the universe, upholds the righteous, and provides for His children, demonstrating His faithfulness and love throughout Scripture.
Greek
2316. theos -- God, a god... Gen 1 - 3). [Long before the NT was written, 2316 () referred to the supreme
being who and
sustains all things.]. Word Origin of
...5050. teleiosis -- completion, perfection
... See 5056 (). [See also 5047 (, another feminine noun from the same root) which stresses
the of truth whichsustains further consummation and 5054 () -- a third...
951. bebaiosis -- confirmation
... ratification, establishment. Cognate: 951 -- properly, what upholds (sustains),
ie is "for " (validated as guaranteed). See 949 (). Word...
Strong's Hebrew
5564. samak -- to lean, lay, rest, support... siege (1), lay (17), lean (1), leans (3), relied (1), rested (1), steadfast (1),
support (1), sustain (3), sustained (2), sustainer (1),
sustains (3), upheld (4
...5582. saad -- to support, sustain, stay
... root Definition to support, sustain, stay NASB Word Usage hold (1), refresh (2),
support (1), sustain (3),sustains (1), uphold (2), upholds (2)....
1961. hayah -- to fall out, come to pass, become, be
... 1), resulted (1), running (1), seemed* (1), serve (3), show (1), sold (1), surely
become (1), surely come (1), surely come to pass (1),sustains (1), take (1...
Library
OrganSustains Chords in Recitations
... No. 147 Organsustains chords in recitations. GENERAL The Divine Praises Organsustains
chords in recitations J. Lewis Browne. Slowly. Blessed be God!...
The Christian's God
... The Christian Conception of God has been thus expressed, "God is the Personal Spirit,
perfectly good, who in holy love, creates,sustains and orders all." The...
The Holy Spirit's Intercession
... refreshment: hope sees a crown in reserve, mansions in readiness, and Jesus himself
preparing a place for us, and by the rapturous sight shesustains the soul...
The Relation of Home to the Church.
... CHURCH. The Christian homesustains a direct relation to the church. This
relation is similar to that which itsustains to the state....
Job
... what he is. Jobsustains the four fierce blows, which stripped him of all,
with beautiful resignation. The Satan is foiled. He now...
The Cloud of Witnesses
... The apostle says in this passage, "that apart from us they should not be made perfect."
Every work of the past is incomplete unless the presentsustains it....
Food for the Lambs.
... The Christian has a twofold life: he has both physical life and spiritual life.
As breadsustains physical life, so the word of Godsustains spiritual life....
Christ to Jairus
... There is a word of encouragement whichsustains a feeble faith: there is a word
of revelation which smooths the grimness of death; 'She is not dead but sleepeth...
Practical Observations.
... 5. That is food whichsustains life. Bread... originate. But the bread from heaven
brings with it the life it afterwardssustains."Hanna....
How a Soul in Charity Makes Progress in It.
... And while he thus makes her walk in the virtues by which he disposes her to this
holy love, he does not conduct her only, but in such sortsustains her, that...
Thesaurus
Sustains (11 Occurrences)... Multi-Version Concordance
Sustains (11 Occurrences).
... Psalms 3:5 I laid myself down
and slept. I awakened; for Yahweh
sustains me. (WEB NAS RSV NIV).
...Sustain (28 Occurrences)
... 1. (vt) To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support; as, a foundationsustains
the superstructure; a beastsustains a load; a ropesustains a weight....
Sustainer (2 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) One who, or that which,sustains.... Psalms 54:4 Behold,
God is my helper. The Lord is the one whosustains my soul. (See NAS)....
Unchangeableness (1 Occurrence)
... 15:11 Amos 7:3 Joel 2:13); He becomes angry (Numbers 11:1 Psalm 106:40); and lays
aside His anger (Deuteronomy 13:17 Hosea 14:4). Hesustains a different...
Unchangeable (4 Occurrences)
... 15:11 Amos 7:3 Joel 2:13); He becomes angry (Numbers 11:1 Psalm 106:40); and lays
aside His anger (Deuteronomy 13:17 Hosea 14:4). Hesustains a different...
Sustenance (11 Occurrences)
Upholds (12 Occurrences)
... Psalms 18:35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right
handsustains me. Your gentleness has made me great. (See NAS)....
Mount (311 Occurrences)
... 10. (vt) Hence: To put upon anything thatsustains and fits for use, as a gun on
a carriage, a map or picture on cloth or paper; to prepare for being worn or...
Perdition (14 Occurrences)
... "To be lost" here signifies to have become estranged from God, to miss realizing
the relations which man normallysustains toward Him....
Backbone (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The column of bones in the back whichsustains
and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column....
Resources
What are the different names and titles of Jesus Christ? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the aseity of God? | GotQuestions.orgWhat did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the True Vine” (John 15:1)? | GotQuestions.orgBible Concordance •
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