Romans 8:38-39

Romans 8:38-39

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

I find this verse to be one of the most comforting and peace-inducing verses in the Bible. It confirms for us that no matter what trouble, obstacle, or hardship we face in this life, God’s love will remain steadfast in our lives. The sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf will remain constant. The promise of forgiveness and salvation will remain completely unchanged. It doesn’t promise that life will be easy and without struggle. But it does confirm that no amount of struggle can diminish the amount of love that is poured out on us from the Father. It’s easy to get caught up in the moments of this life. It’s easy to think that all hope is lost and the future is bleak when something worldly goes wrong in our lives. We lose sight of the bigger picture. We start to forget what God is doing in our lives, we forget verses like Romans 6:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Whether things are sailing along smoothly or we are caught in a raging, merciless sea, God is still in the mix. He hasn’t grown bored or become too busy with more important things. God is not limited in his capabilities like we are…he is everywhere all at once (see Psalm 139:3, 7-10).  As long as we steadfastly profess faith in Christ, nothing that we endure in this life is going to separate us from God and nothing is going to make Christ’s sacrifice less effective for our salvation. We can stop fretting about money, status, and climbing that corporate ladder. We can stop trying to impress others and seek their approval and admiration. We have all that we need in our relationship with God…a relationship that God restored when he sent Jesus to walk this earth as man, die on that cross, and rise in victory…all of it done FOR us. So today, may we relax a bit, rest for a moment, and remember that the present sufferings are temporary and that eternal glory awaits (Romans 8:18). To God alone be the glory!