God is with us

In Romans 8:35, the Apostle Paul raises a question that is vital to our faith, “what shall separate us from the love of Christ?”   He then proceeds to lay out 17 possibilities where we may be tempted to believe that God has turned away from us, They include tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, the sword, death, life, angels, rulers, things present or things to come, powers, height, depth, and anything in all of creation. That is an exhaustive list.

Now all of us have been tempted to believe in the midst of life’s challenges that God has somehow forsaken or forgotten us. Whether it be tribulation or trouble, anxiety or distress, or rejection from others because of our faith. It may be a financial difficulty, that is what Paul meant by famine or nakedness. Where is God in our time of trouble?

In answer to the greatest trial we all would one day face, death itself, Paul tells us that even if the greatest powers, or angels or rulers, or anything in all of creation would come against us, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us… nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

This is an incredibly important truth for all of us as we pass through the many struggles of life.  It is something we have to hold on to with tenacity if we are going to live well and persevere in our faith, no matter what may come. This is one of the messages of the Bible, that despite all the messes life throws at us, God loves us and nothing will separate us from that love. Amen!