By Grace Dryburgh 

As you know, Bible College is famous for the many opportunities it gives students. This may also be the reason why its students are known for rarely getting enough sleep. Many of us participate in basketball, choir, gospel teams, symphonic wind ensemble, and part-time jobs. I am grateful for all these opportunities, but often I look at the activities I participate in and wonder why I do all of them. I often dread them, even though they are all good activities. 

In short, I get exhausted. I become defeated. I feel like I am doing everything in vain. It is so important to remember that God is the One who sustains me in all these things. To start, I looked up the definition of “sustaining.” Webster’s Dictionary says, “to keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support as a foundation.” 

Throughout Scripture, humans fail constantly. The psalmist writes, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (73:26). Yet, God promises that He will sustain His people and fight their battles for them, like in the Book of Exodus and in Joshua 1:9. God called His people to be strong and courageous or to be still, because God Himself promised that He would be with them. I believe that Scripture is absolutely true; therefore, the promises that are made by God in Scripture can be applied to my life as well, by the grace of God. 

God acted on His promises ultimately on the cross. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, including my sins. The lyrics of a gospel song say, “He paid a debt He did not owe; and I owed a debt I could not pay” (“He Paid A Debt,” anonymous). Jesus was the perfect substitution for my sins. He paid my debt in full. I am completely free of my debt before God. By the grace of God, I have faith in my Savior alone. I add nothing. I rest in the true hope that someday I will be with Him, “my portion forever.” 

I love the lyrics to Steve Pettit’s song “This Is My Word,” which says, “O Lord, when I am weary, when I feel the days I am living are in vain, my God, help me be faithful to the Word You have given to proclaim.” Without the Great Sustainer, my days would be lived out in vain. All of the things I am a part of would be for nothing. But, because of what Jesus has done for me, I can endure in the troubles of life. Why? Because I know my salvation has been won. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” God is the Great Sustainer. 

Grace Dryburgh [FLBC senior] is from Hillsboro, N.D. 

Kinship is a magazine of the FLBCS. Stay up to date on the latest news, student stories, classroom highlights, and fun tidbits about life on the FLBC and FLS campus.

View the latest edition of Kinship here: Kinship Winter 2020 Edition