What Does It Mean That We "Have Our Being" in God? (Revelation 4:11)

I read Revelation 4:11 this morning and got stuck on one line. "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

The first half made sense right away. He created everything, of course He's worthy. Then it says they "have their being," and I paused, wondering why it sounded like the same idea twice. Created. Have their being. Isn't that repeating itself?

It's not. Different translations order the line differently. The ESV says "they existed and were created." The NIV says "they were created and have their being." Both point to two separate ideas packed into one sentence. Being created is the one time act. Having your being is what's happening right now, this second, because He's still willing you into existence. Paul says almost the same thing in Colossians, "in him all things hold together." The writer of Hebrews says God is "sustaining all things by his powerful word." You weren't made once and left to run on your own. You're being held up in real time.

That realization changed how I read the rest of my devotional this morning. It talked about how much God created, and how He did it from nothing. Ex nihilo is the actual term for that, out of nothing. No raw material. No starting point borrowed from somewhere else. He spoke and it existed.

I take life for granted more than I'd like to admit. I look around at how everything works in its own ecosystem, and then how all those ecosystems work together, and I feel privileged just to witness it. Privileged to be here at this exact time. My mom talks about how she grew up, and I think, thank God he knew that wasn't what I wanted to deal with.

He made me in every way, even the parts I complain about. I ask why I have acne and moles as a teenager and still as an adult. But at the end of the day I'm excited that He created me to flourish. Flourish and succeed are not interchangeable. He made me specifically for this time, for this moment, for exactly where I am. If there's this much of creation I can't even see, I can't wait to find out what else He has for me.

I think about the people I've lost, the ones I was truly close to, and I wish they were still in it with me. But knowing He's kept me here for a reason makes me want to keep asking. Have I touched who You wanted me to touch? Is there more? Have I even started?

The other day I realized I might never find out if I've reached everyone the people I've lost wanted me to reach. He may never reveal that to me. That made me a little sad, until I recognized wanting to know is partly for my own peace, not because the mission changes either way. I still want to know I'm making a positive difference. That part doesn't go away, and I don't think it's supposed to.

Peace, Love and Joy always. Infinite Faith and Favor | kharisco.com