Romans 8:38-39: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I do not know what you have been going through this week, or will go through, but Romans 8:38-39 gives us the hope and reassurance that God’s power is not confined to any problem or situation. Nothing in the whole universe is outside of God’s control. Paul had experienced being in prison, persecution, famine, affliction, and the threat of martyrdom by the sword. Yet he viewed it all with an eternal perspective (Rom. 8:28), because He was secure in Christ, despite all the evil around him. That was Paul’s weapon against fear.
There is no circumstance God is not already aware of and didn’t already know was going to happen. He has a definite purpose for you as a wife, as a mother, as a woman in the business world, that no one else can do. You are it. God has given you talents and gifts to be of benefit. Your skills will glorify God right where He has placed you, as you use your God-given abilities to praise Him. Ask God to make you of benefit to your employer and to those you come into contact with daily and watch what a difference that makes!
When you are subjected to yet another trial, a problem that may at first seem overwhelming, you go through several emotional stations:
- Rejection – You feel shocked. How could this happen to me? How could they treat me like this? You question if this is at all part of God’s sovereign plan and then you might feel guilt and shame for thinking those thoughts. I have.
- Enduring toleration – You ask for a miraculous intervention. You ask how long do I have to endure this? Despair may take up residence. You try and suck it up, and you start to pray more.
- A light bulb turns on – As Jesus has been interceding for you all along, and as the Holy Spirit has been interceding for you according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27), you surrender and accept God’s providential control, little by little – baby steps. Jesus is our advocate and defender. Remember, it is Satan, not God, that accuses us.
- Fears dispelled by resting in God’s love. We are freed from defeat due to the security of God’s abiding love for us – nothing can separate us from God’s love, because of the way that Jesus our heavenly Father, has lavishly poured His love within our hearts to the point of overflowing (Rom. 5:5). Our path had a detour. Affliction has changed us and was a vital addition to our story.
Don’t we try to shelter our children in whatever way we can? There is this fine line in the parenting responsibility of figuring out when to let our children learn from their mistakes and when to keep them from happening at all. I often wished I could keep bad things from ever happening to our children. “But God does not shelter us from the difficulties of life because we need them for our spiritual growth (endurance, character, and hope. Rom. 5:3-5). In Romans 8:28, God assures us that the difficulties of life are working for us and not against us. God permits trials to come that we might use them for our good and His glory.” Warren Wiersbe. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary.
Have these verses written down on a card or in a journal, and highlight them in your Bible. The next time you hit a roadblock, reach for Romans 8:38-39. Write down your problem and date it next to these verses. As you continue to pray every day, keep looking down at these words. Pray that the promises and the truth of Romans 8:38-39 will penetrate your mind and rule in your heart. Pray that the Holy Spirit will heal all your wounds and that He will teach you what God wants you to know. The book of Romans is a letter of comfort addressed just to you. Trust Him. Praise God for the profit that will come from enduring this hardship. When God does work out the answer, write it down, date it, so you can reflect back on it later and realize God has been glorified in you! Celebrate that! Look how far you now have come!
Listen to Lauren Daigle Look Up Child (Audio) from her album Look Up Child.