Over all, through all, in all

THESE are words used by St. Paul to describe our relation with God. It is in his Letter to the Ephesians where he says: “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (4,6)

If would be good if we can spend a few moments meditating on these words which actually should be very meaningful to us, and which should fill us with joy and a deep sense of confidence and security, especially amid the drama of our life which can have its turbulent moments.

God is our Father, and as such he is over us in the sense that he takes care of us always and oversees all our affairs. He is the one from whom we come and to whom we belong. We are supposed to be like him, to be always together with him. We cannot be without him.

We need to strengthen our belief in these details of our relation with him who as a father is over us. We should try to avoid what was expressed in the Book of Deuteronomy: “You have forgotten God who fathered you.” (32,18) We need to look for him, and we should have the constant sensation that whatever we are doing, it is like we are moving toward him.

Also, God as our Father is always with us through all our life. While he is over us, he is never distant from us. He accompanies us all the time. That is why we have no reason to feel as if we are simply on our own, and feeling alone and abandoned especially in our difficult moments.

He is our constant guide who not only gives us directions but also tells us or shows us the meaning of every event in our life, whether that event is good or bad. He will always reassure us that he will always be there for us and that he will always defend us. We have no reason to feel dejected at all even in our worst situation.

In fact, he will make use of every moment in our life to draw us to him, even if we are not quite aware of it or even if we seem to be going against him. That is why St. Paul said in his Letter to the Romans that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” (8,28)

If our belief that God always accompanies in our journey in life will help us to be serene and confident whatever the situation, as well as to be more focused on what we are supposed to do at any given moment, rather than getting entangled and stranded due to some predicaments.

That God is in all means that at any given moment, God will always be with us. His accompaniment in our life is not something superficial or just external. He is at the core of our being. That is why we have no reason at all to wonder where we can find him. He is right inside us.

Let’s hope that we can echo the same relevant sentiments of St. Augustine. “Late have I loved you, beauty so old and so new. Late have I loved you. And see, you were within and I was in the external world and sought you there, and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely created things which you made. You were with me, and I was not with you.” (Confessions)

Let us make sure that God should always occupy the most prominent place in our mind and heart. We have to give him our all. Such total self-giving, to be sure, will never mean annihilating ourselves, but rather the contrary. It will fill us with what is most proper to us—to be like God, to be one with him since that is how he wants us to be.