And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Heb. 1:3)

Our Lord Jesus Christ “upholds all things by the word of His power.” We saw earlier that all things were created through Him; now we learn that He holds all things together. The same voice that created the world also upholds it. God’s omnipresence in every corner of the universe keeps everything in existence. He didn’t just create the universe and then leave it on its own to exist independently from Him. He keeps it going!

Science recognizes the physical force called gravity, which describes an attraction between two physical bodies. Of course, we think of it as the force that keeps us from flying off the earth, which rotates at the phenomenally fast speed of over 1,037 miles/hour (1,670 kilometers/hour)! It is what keeps planets in orbit and electrons circling the nucleus of atoms. Even children learn the basic concept with magnets of opposite charges (negative and positive) attracting, and like charges repelling.

Science observes that in the nucleus of an atom, the force of repelling like charges somehow changes to attraction; otherwise atoms would fly apart. The force involved is so great that when scientists discovered a way “split” atoms, their discovery resulted in devastating nuclear explosions.

Why is there any kind of force or order to our universe, and not just complete randomness? We will leave the detailed explanations for the apologists. But one thing we can be sure of is this: the Creator of the universe also keeps the universe in order according to His divine plan. In the words of Hebrews 1:3, “He upholds all things by the word of His power.”

He remains actively involved in His creation. He brought the world into existence by just speaking it to be so, and He keeps it together by His powerful word. The Hebrews used the word “qol,” translated the “voice” of the Lord, to speak of God’s direct working in His creation. His active involvement in His creation is as effortless for Him as speaking. God invites us to think about His ongoing involvement in the world in similar ways as His initial act of creation in Genesis 1; He simply speaks and it is so. Listen to the psalmist.

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The Lord is over many waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. (Psalm 29:3–5)

When the disciples feared for their lives while on the stormy Sea of Galilee, they saw firsthand the power of Jesus’ spoken word:

They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” (Luke 8:24–25)

Who is this? None other than the One through whom and for whom all creation came into being; He is the one who upholds it all, directing creation like a symphony conductor. And it all goes to show the glory of God through Jesus Christ. Oh, that we had the faith of the centurion who said to the Lord,

“Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” (Matt. 8:8)

Lord, like the centurion, I am not worthy, but I praise You that anything I need in my life, You can just speak the word and it is so!