To Encourage You

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am sure that . . . things present nor things to come . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Although the verses above contain a whole list of things that Paul tells us he was sure would not separate him, or the rest of us who believe in Christ, from the love of God, it is two things in that list that particularly caught my attention this morning. 

Have you ever had a fitful night’s sleep, or woken in the morning to face some daunting challenge?  Maybe that time is right now, i.e., “the present,” in the words of the passage above.  What a wonderful comfort to know that nothing in our “right now” situation in life, nothing that is happening or will happen today, will ever separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  This doesn’t just mean that God has loving thoughts toward us, although that is surely true, for as the psalmist exclaimed as he meditated on the wonderful presence of God in his life “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you” (Psalm 139:17-18).  Notice that last sentence, which is a focus on the present, i.e., this very day at this very time – I am still with you.  But more than such marvelous, loving thoughts, the love of God is an active thing. It’s a self-sacrificial thing.  It’s a love that we find in these words from Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” 

Surely, our mighty God will meet our every need, including every single need we have today. But then the verses above also say that “things to come” will not be able to separate us from God’s great love.  That means tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.  This same infinite love of God that surrounds me with His loving care today will be there for me tomorrow and every day that follows tomorrow.  What a wonderful reality to start each new day with. What a tremendous comfort when the fears and anxieties that are inevitable in this fallen world creep in on us and try to unsettle us. 

But another wonderful reality that is presented in the verse above is this one. Paul says that he is “sure” about these things.  The Greek word from which this was translated actually means “to be convinced, or persuaded.”  The King James version is perhaps a more accurate translation here, as it says “I am persuaded.”  It’s a very interesting word in this context, for who exactly is doing the persuading?  We don’t typically persuade ourselves about things. No, someone else typically does that by talking to us or otherwise influencing us in some way.  Well, it is certain that the Persuader here is none other than God Himself!  We become convinced of God’s love simply because God, through various means, works in our lives to convince us. He’s not satisfied to just proclaim truth to us. He works in our lives to bring us to the point of believing His truth.  Truth is true whether or not we believe it, but the benefits of that truth can’t be fully realized unless we do believe.  So, God gives us His Word – and our faith builds as we hear it (Romans 10:17). But then the Lord tests us, putting us in situations to help us see what we really believe. He knows the strength of our faith.  Usually, we do not.  But then He helps us. He works to bring us to a point where we are fully persuaded of His love deep in our heart, and not just have an intellectual awareness of it with our mind. 

To think that the most trustworthy and loving Being in the universe nevertheless is at work to convince us of just that is a wonderful thing.  May God continue to help us to be fully persuaded of His great love – come what may – whether it be this day, or tomorrow.